When the Heart Stops Beating - Part Three
by TallulahQ
Summary: Sam risks his life to save two children - so why is Jules so angry with him.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone, hope your Christmas and New Year was a happy one. Here goes with the third installment. I couldn't think of another title and as it is a continuation I though why not just call it Part Three. I know - such imagination. Please read, review and PM - they make my day, week, month and year.

WHEN THE HEART STOPS BEATING - PART THREE

Chapter 1 - Too Many Times

Sam sat in the passenger seat; his eyes closed trying to block out the anger Jules was projecting his way. He could feel Jules looking; her eyes tearing into him. Jules had excellent driving skills, but today she was making a point; she was angry and her anger was directed at him - every turn she took was taken just a little too fast and every stop she made was made just a little too late which meant Sam was being jostled around making sure his headache would have no chance of abating.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose in a useless effort to stem the pain in his head. Sam's headache had started when he returned from the last call and had escalated during debriefing. He had hoped any further recriminations could have been left at debriefing; clearly Jules had other ideas. He knew she was going to continue this as soon as they got home.

What happened to the house being their sanctuary he thought? They had both agreed to it - both needed it. Each had understood they could not do their jobs if they didn't have the normality of everyday life as a couple outside of work. But today Jules had thrown that rule out of the proverbial window. Sam knew as soon as they were inside the house, Jules would pick up from where the debriefing had left off. He wouldn't do this again, could not go over everything he did wrong, or everything that might have gone wrong; not again. He wanted to come home, have some beers and laugh at some ridiculous sitcom on TV. He wanted to shower, and eat and make love to Jules; he did not want to pick the bones of the case they had already picked dry for hours.

The jeep suddenly stopped - jerking Sam forward; they were home. Without speaking Sam climbed out of the jeep. Once inside the house Jules headed for the kitchen and Sam upstairs. He could hear Jules opening cupboards and slamming them shut again. He turned on the shower - avoidance was necessary for Sam this evening. He never would normally avoid Jules; he loved their banter while he or she cooked, but not this evening; there would only be screaming and shouting and so avoidance was definitely necessary.

The scalding water cascading over him did little to remove the tension that racked his body. Sam flinched and let out a small cry when the water ran over the wound to his arm. He leant against the tiles wondering how the day had gone so wrong. He and Jules were great that morning, joking and laughing and remembering how good the night before had been. Sam turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the rail, wrapping it around his waist. He stood looking at his reflection in the mirror - not recognizing the person who stared back at him. His cool blue eyes were dulled and lifeless; the day's events stripping them of their sparkle. Sam took a dressing from the medicine box and placed it over the wound; only now realizing the intense throbbing pain that was emanating from his upper right arm.

He moved to the bedroom and sat on the bed; he saw Jules leaning against the doorway, arms folded across her chest.

"Dinner's nearly ready" Jules said her tone unforgiving and curt.

"I'm not hungry" Sam replied his eyes deliberately avoiding hers. He hated this; hated the atmosphere. He wanted to scoop her up and lay her on the bed and kiss her neck and feel her body next to his: He wanted to forget about today.

"I'm furious with you Sam you should never have gone into the building without backup - you could have been killed"; anger hanging off every word she spoke.

"I know Jules, you told me a hundred times at debriefing and I don't want to go over it again. What happened to not bringing work home with us?" Sam got up from the bed and moved into the bathroom taking his sweat pants and t- shirt with him.

Sam heard the bedroom door close; Jules had retreated back downstairs. He had managed to avoid a further confrontation, at least for the time being.

When Sam came out of the bathroom, Jules was sitting on the bed.

"Jules, I don't want to do this - I don't want to hear anymore about how I nearly died," He hated that he had disappointed her; but he couldn't understand why she was so angry. Ed had agreed that he should attempt the rescue. No one could have foreseen what was going to happen and how wrong it was all going to go; He winced remembering the events of the day.

12 Hours Earlier:

The intense buzzing from Sam's cell was drawing him into consciousness. He moaned softly not wanting to leave the warmness of the bed and the softness of Jules next to him. Another ten minutes, he thought, and searched in the darkness for the offending object to render it silent; left arm flailing until it managed to press the snooze button. Finally, the annoying buzzing ceased; Sam let out a satisfied sigh.

Jules was already awake, but she didn't move; content to stay where she was for as long as possible. Tem more minutes of this would do just fine she thought.

It was the beginning of autumn the air was crisp and clean and the cloudless sky had meant an early frost. The trees were just beginning to be stripped of their leaves, more leaving with each gust of wind.

"Let's take a duvet day" Sam said stroking her face and moving just a few stray strands of her hair from her face and kissed her softly.

"As much as I would love to stay in bed with you; you know we can't" Jules replied and then returned his kiss. "Come on Braddock, it's your turn to make breakfast".

Sam laid back on the bed contemplating her request; "ten more minutes" he said pulling her even closer to him.

"Sam don't you think I know your ten minutes doesn't involve sleep and that would take a lot longer than ten minutes and then we would end up being late for work - again". Jules smiled "Come on; get up and go and make your wife some breakfast" jokingly pushing him out of the bed.

"Mrs. Braddock you're a cold hearted woman". Sam pulled on his sweats and a t-shirt and made his way downstairs.

Jules smiled as she lay on the bed listening to Sam singing along to the radio. She did not think she could be any happier than at that moment: Fighting the urge to stay in bed for just a few minutes longer, Jules threw the covers off and headed to the shower.

Twenty minutes later she had joined Sam in the kitchen.

"You made waffles? You are the best husband ever - I'm starving." Jules said taking a bite.

Sam smiled "you're always starving".

"Not my fault, I burned a lot of calories last night".

"I think we both did" Sam replied raising his eyebrows "do you want coffee?"

"No thanks, tea please, decaf".

Sam kissed Jules on the cheek as he passed her on the way to the bathroom, leaving Jules tucking into her second waffle. "Make sure you save me some".

Jules sat at the table contemplating eating another of Sam's delicious waffles; she was very pleased he had learned to cook - these were even better than hers.

"Ready" Sam said as he entered the kitchen "Jules you've eaten them all!" Jules took a half-eaten waffle and offered it to Sam. "Sorry, but they were so nice".

He smiled taking the half-eaten waffle from her and putting it in his mouth. "Come on, we'll be late".

Thirty minutes later they were at the SRU - where professionalism took over and Mr. and Mrs. Braddock became Sam Braddock and Julianna Callaghan; teammates of the most elite police unit in the Country.

The team was in the middle of the regular work out session when Winnie advised them of their first hot call of the day.

"What we got Winnie?" Greg asked the SRU Despatcher.

"911 patched a call through from a distraught woman; she says her children have been taken by their father this morning just as she was leaving for the school run and he had threatened her with a gun."

"Ok team, let's move; Winnie feed me any more information on the way and patch the mother through to my phone."

Greg spoke to the woman and discovered her husband had taken the children at 8.30 from outside her house. She explained she had been granted full custody following their separation because of her husband's erratic and violent behavior. Greg did his best to ease the woman's fears and asked if she knew anywhere he could have taken the children.

Andrea Richardson had told Greg her husband Graham had been living with his sister since their separation and gave Greg the details. The SRU Sergeant told her uniformed officers would be arriving at her home shortly to escort her to their mobile command truck.

The team arrived at the sister's residence 15 minutes later but found only the sister at home. She told them her brother moved in 2 months ago; but had been acting very odd the last week. That morning he kissed her goodbye and told her not to cook for him that evening. The search of his room yielded little information.

Greg had asked the wife and sister if they knew anywhere else he would go. The only place that was mentioned was his old business offices at the Industrial Park at Brentwood. Andrea Richardson had also informed Greg that her husband's business folded last year; he became depressed and had started to drink heavily and she had called the police twice because he had attacked her in their home.

"Boss", Spike interjected "police had been called to a number of domestic disturbances going back a couple of months. He was arrested twice and following the last arrest, Mrs. Richardson was granted a restraining order. Boss; Graham Richardson is a demolitions expert".

"OK, thanks Spike; Mrs. Richardson, does your husband have access to explosives?"

"I'm not sure; he used to, that was his job. Why? He wouldn't hurt the children - he loves them, it is just me he has a problem with". Andrea Richardson's face was taught with concern for her children.

"We have to prepare for every eventuality, try and stay calm Mrs. Richardson". Greg said trying unsuccessfully to put Andrea Richardson as ease.

"OK Team, listen up; we may be dealing with a situation involving explosives - everybody stay alert" Greg advised his colleagues

Brentwood Industrial Park had been empty for a year; it consisted of three large units with parking spaces to the front. As soon as the team arrived they saw silver Toyota Corolla parked at the front; the wife confirmed it was her husband's car.

"Spike we need plans and find out if there is a working telephone line at the premises and see if Mr. Richardson has a cell phone". Greg asked his tech expert.

"Already on it boss - no phone line currently in service but there is electricity and the plans are being sent to your PDA's now."

Ed and Sam looked over the plans; two small windows at the front which were covered plus the door to the front also covered and most likely barricaded. There was a door to the rear of the building plus a window. Ed asked Sam and Leah to check around the back.

Sam and Leah moved carefully around the back of the building; "one door locked and a window up high" Sam advised Ed. Sam motioned to Leah to provide a leg up so he could see into the building. Leah swung her MP5 submachine gun over her shoulder and locked her fingers together. Sam looked through the window and advised the team he could see an adult male, pacing up and down. He pushed lightly against the window - it was open.

"Ed, I can gain access through the window" Sam advised.

"No Sam, he might see you and we can't risk him escalating" Greg had interjected.

"Boss, we're blind out here; I can gain access and will stay back until you say; but we need Intel and this is the only way".

"Greg; Sam's right; I can't get a sierra shot - we have no eyes unless Sam goes in" Ed said.

"OK Sam" Greg sighed "but please be careful and Leah stay there and cover" Greg hated his officers going into a dangerous situation without Intel or back-up. He didn't like the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach; he didn't like it at all.

Sam carefully eased himself through the window; his submachine gun placed behind him; holding on to the ledge with his hands he dropped the rest of the way. He had been trained for covert entry during his time in Special Forces and could enter most buildings without being heard or seen. He silently unlocked the door to the back entrance. If necessary, the team now had access to the building. Sam positioned himself behind a small wall and spoke quietly through his com link.

"Boss, the father is holding a hand gun; the children are not restrained but they look frightened." He could see the young boy trying to keep his little sister from being afraid - drawing pictures with her at a desk. The boy - only nine or ten - reminded Sam of himself at that age playing with his younger sister until fate had taken her from him.

"OK Sam, keep us advised if the situation changes". Greg said.

"Boss, we have a cell number for Graham Richardson". Spike informed his Sergeant.

Greg called the number and after several tries, Graham Richardson finally answered.

"Thank you for answering, my name is Greg Parker, I'm with the Strategic Response Unit; could you tell me what is happening here today?"

"Just tell that whore she is going to lose her children, she's going to know how it feels to lose them and not be able to do a thing about it. She'll know how it feels to watch them be taken away from her just as I had to watch them leave with her after the court hearing". Graham Richardson was agitated and angry - not a good combination if they wanted a peaceful outcome.

"Can you explain what you mean by that?" Greg asked but instinctively knew what he had meant. He had been on more than a few similar calls and most had ended tragically.

"What I mean! What I mean is that you try and come in and the whole place goes up; don't think for one minute I'm bluffing- I've wired enough C4 to blow up half of Toronto. There's nothing you can say; nothing you can do so just go away" Graham Richardson then disconnected the phone.

"Boss, he's picked up what looks like a detonator - he's escalating. He isn't focusing on the children - I think I can get to them, but I need to go now." Sam knew what he was about to do was dangerous; but he needed to help the children. "Leah move back as far as you can just in case this place goes up". Sam advised his colleague.

"Boss, I can provide cover for Sam" Leah suggested.

"No Leah, stay back - no point in risking two lives" Sam said. He wasn't about to risk anyone else with his plan. It was his decision, therefore only he should take the risk.

"Sam's right Leah, get back to a safe distance". Greg said. There would be nothing she could do - Graham Richardson was already holding the detonator; if she shot him the place would explode anyway.

Jules let out a deep breath; "Boss, this is wrong; Sam needs to pull back now - if Graham Richardson presses that detonator we lose the children and Sam".

Greg agreed: "Sam pull back it's too dangerous". The feeling in his stomach becoming more intense with each second that ticked by.

"Boss, I know it's risky but I can get to them, at least let me try". Sam pleaded one more time.

It was one of the calls everyone hated. It was always going to be a no win situation: They could not talk the father down and could not get a sierra shot. Sam was right; this was the only possible way to save the children.

Ed knew Sam's plan was dangerous; the father could detonate the explosives if he saw Sam or shoot him. He had no backup; he was on his own. "Greg, we have no choice if we want to secure the safety of the children - Sam you have a go". Ed hoped he had not sent Sam to his death.

Outwardly Jules appeared calm, inwardly she was screaming in panic.

"Boss, this is too dangerous; he's going in with no backup". Jules knew it was futile; Ed had already given the go ahead and Sam being Sam wouldn't listen to any of their protests. She was pacing unable to stand still: She wanted to turn back time; she wanted to go back to this morning and say yes to the duvet day.

Sam swiftly and quietly moved towards the children. The boy saw him; Sam stopped and said a silent prayer; hoping the boy would not alarm his father. He motioned for the boy to be quiet by putting his forefinger to his lips. He scooped both the children up quickly in his arms and started to carry them out; he was nearly at the back door, three feet from safety when the young boy called out to his father. Graham Richardson turned to see Sam holding both his children.

He shouted to Sam to stop as he raised his gun. Sam closed his eyes and waited for the shot that would most likely end his life. He was lucky the father's aim was off: Sam felt the bullet graze his right arm. As Sam flinched against the pain the boy managed to free himself from Sam's grasp. Sam tried in vain to grab hold of the young boy again, but he had already ran back towards his father. Sam turned to see the father pick up his young son: He looked at Sam before he pressed the detonator.

The building exploded just as Sam ran through the back carrying the little girl in his arms.

Everyone had taken cover and was at a safe distance from the building, but all physically jumped when it exploded. Jules was standing by the command truck and felt her heart stop dead. She stood watching everything move in slow motion and knew just by looking at the building that no one could have made it out alive. "SAM" she heard herself scream. Her brain was racing - how many times had she felt like this - too many: Too many times she had nearly lost the man she loved and now again she thought he was gone. Once more her heart was being ripped apart. A wave of intense nausea came over her and she had no option but to run behind the command truck and throw up.

Thank you for reading - Chapter 2 will be posted shortly. If you enjoyed it please let me know and even if you didn't I would be happy to hear your comments.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Recriminations and Burnt Chicken

The force of the blast had knocked Sam off his feet but he had managed to shield the little girl with his body from the rubble and debris showering him.

He couldn't hear the screams of his teammates; his ear piece had fallen out in the blast. When he managed to retrieve it he could hear the panic in Greg's voice as he frantically called Sam for his status.

"No harm, No harm he called into the headset; I have the little girl, but the boy ran back to his father just as the building exploded. Greg let out a heavy sigh - it would be up to him to convey the news to the mother who was waiting in the truck with uniformed officers. Greg had heard an ear-shattering scream come from the command truck following the explosion. This was not how he wanted the day to end and dreaded having to tell the mother that one of her children would not be going home with her. He was relieved, however, that his young officer had survived and had managed to save one of the children.

It was obvious the father and son had been killed in the blast. It had been a huge explosion which resulted in its partial collapse. This was the outcome the team had feared when they arrived on the scene; murder - suicide; the father had no intention of letting the children go; this was how he wanted to die and this was how he had wanted his children to die while their distraught mother looked on helplessly.

Sam handed the little girl to waiting paramedics. Greg looked at his young officer; "I thought you said you weren't injured?" noticing the wound to Sam's arm. "You did good Sam" Greg patted his shoulder "Go and get your arm checked".

"It's nothing boss; it's just a scratch". Sam replied.

EMS had been on scene and the little girl was quickly driven away to hospital with her mother. Sam was checked over and the wound to his arm dressed.

Sam saw Jules but she did not come over to him. He had never liked people fussing over him; yet he was surprised Jules had not come to him to see for herself he was OK. He could tell just by the expression on her face that she was angry with him, but he couldn't understand why.

Debriefing went on for hours. Jules making her point that the situation was volatile and unsafe and Sam should not have entered the building.

Greg knew too it had been a dangerous decision to allow Sam to attempt the rescue on his own and was thankful the little girl and Sam had survived. Ed had supported Sam's decision and had said it had been the only option if they were to rescue the children.

Sam had defended his actions saying the job was dangerous, but at the end of the day he had managed to save one child. The death of the little boy was playing heavy on Sam's mind. He replayed the events in his mind wondering if he could have done anything differently and saved the little boy.

He hated that the little boy lost his life to the one person who should have done everything to protect him.

As the debriefing continued; emotions started to run high. Jules had screamed at Sam saying he had taken a stupid risk. Ed had even been surprised at Jules outburst. He had tried to appease the situation, but Jules wasn't listening; all her venom and anger directed at Sam.

Ed had said it was his orders that Sam attempt the rescue of the children; she should, therefore, be directing her anger at him. She had disagreed and said Sam was the only one who had eyes in and could make that decision. It had been his decision and he had been irresponsible and reckless.

"Irresponsible and reckless! I saved a little girl's life today; isn't that supposed to be the job?" Furious, Sam headed off to the locker room with Ed following closely behind. Ed turned and stared at his female teammate "You're way out of line Jules". Everyone in the room stopped talking; the meeting was over.

Jules sat back down in her chair; everyone's eyes on her. She knew they all felt the same as Ed, but they didn't understand; they couldn't see inside her heart. Only one person could do that and he had stormed off and was in the locker room. She stood up and without saying a word headed to the female locker room.

Sam sat on the bench, his head bent. Right at that moment he did not care about the risk he took - all he cared about was that he had the boy in his arms and he dropped him and now he was dead; a ten year old boy who had been so brave helping his little sister was gone and there was nothing he could do to change it.

Ed had sat next to Sam and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "I know this was a tough call Sam; You did good today and I'm proud of you. Jules will be fine, just give her time to calm down."

For Sam it wasn't about waiting for Jules to calm down - the moment had past when he had needed her. He had needed her to hold him and tell him she was sorry the boy had died, but she was happy he had saved the little girl and that he was alive. Instead she ignored him at the scene and screamed at him during debriefing.

"Crappy day" Sam said.

"Yeah, Sam, crappy day; go home and get some rest".

And now Jules wanted to go over it one more time in their house where they were supposed to be free of guilt and blame and where anything to do with the job was off-limits.

"Sam, I'm" Jules started to say, and then stopped herself. She was still so angry with Sam and she knew she would not be able to hide the anger from her voice.

"What Jules?, you're angry, yes I already know, you made it abundantly clear during the three hours of debriefing when all you said was how freaking angry you was. Don't you think I'm angry - I had him Jules, I had the boy safe in my arms and I lost him and now he's dead; he was a scared little boy and he ran to the one person he thought would never hurt him". Sam sat next to Jules on the bed and buried his head in his hands.

"Sam I'm sorry I shouldn't have been angry with you"

Sam looked at Jules and noticed she was crying, silent tears falling down her cheeks. "Jules tell me what's wrong".

"I'm tired of feeling scared all the time Sam; I want to feel normal".

Sam was confused "What do you mean 'normal'?"

She had been putting off telling him how she really felt; had compartmentalized it at the back of her brain but it kept trying to escape and today it had overwhelmed her. "I spent most of last year feeling completely terrified; terrified you were going to die in the hospital, and not make it back on the team; terrified Brian Coulson had killed you. And today, of all freaking days, I thought I lost you again".

"I know Jules, we had a tough year, but we're OK, we survived and we have to get on with our lives and our jobs and not let the past define us. Don't you think I feel scared every time we attend a call, scared that I may lose you to some idiot with a gun? We do a dangerous job - that's just the way it is; unless you want to work in an office and me to start selling cars?" Sam was trying to lighten the conversation, but her face didn't move; there was not even the tiniest hint of a smile from her mouth. Sam paused for a second, replaying what Jules had said to him: "What do you mean 'of all freaking days', what was so special about today?" Sam frantically searched his brain; had he forgotten something important; an anniversary, a birthday? Was this why she was so mad at him?

Jules turned and looked at Sam, her eyes searching his "Nothing" she said pulling away from him. Sam refused to relinquish his hold on her and wrapped both arms around her; not caring about the pain it caused his arm.

"Tell me Jules, tell me what's wrong - I can't help if I don't know why you are so sad?"

Jules knew then that she had mistaken anger for fear - absolute and all-consuming fear that she had lost Sam. The fear had engulfed her and had prevented her from seeing what she should have seen from the outset - Sam was suffering and how she acted had just added to his suffering. And yet, after all he had been through that day, he was still putting her feelings before his own.

"I'm not sad; just scared. I can't lose you Sam not now; not ever and I know we do a dangerous job but do you have to take stupid risks all the time?"

"Jules, it's our job - I get it that I scared you today, I do, and I'm sorry, but there is something you are not telling me; something has happened that has made you feel like this".

"I didn't want to tell you like this" Jules said

"Tell me what?"

Jules stayed silent; she could stay in his arms forever. She had never loved anyone the way she loved this man. She regretted how she had treated him today - he didn't deserve her anger but he did deserve her honesty. After a long pause, Jules finally looked at Sam.

"We're having a baby Sam".

Sam pulled away from their embrace and stared at Jules trying to comprehend what she had just said.

"We're having a baby?" Sam repeated unsure how he should react - On any other day this would have been the best news he could ever have asked for but today he just felt drained and sad. "When did you find out - why didn't you tell me?"

"I did the test this morning - I was going to tell you this evening over dinner but then the day went to hell: When you went into the building and it exploded all I could think was that you would never know you were going to be a father."

Sam pulled her to him and held onto her like his very life depended upon it. Jules could feel the wetness of his tears on her neck and knew just how very special the man holding onto her was; and how very lucky she was to have him.

"You OK Sam?" Jules asked eventually.

"I love you so much" Sam replied.

"I know you do; I love you too - I'm sorry I was so awful to you today - I let my fear of losing you cloud my judgment and I was wrong to do that to you. You needed me and I let you down."

"It's Ok; we can blame it on the hormones". Sam replied with just a hint of lightness in his voice and a small smile beginning to show on his face.

Sam put one arm around her shoulder and rested one hand on the small of her beautiful tummy. "There's really a baby Braddock in there?"

Jules leant her head on his shoulder: "Yes, there is; I need to see the doctor to confirm, but home pregnancy tests are pretty reliable; would it be too much to ask for you to stay alive long enough to see it being born?" Her tone lighter; her anger finally washed away with the joy that she was having a baby - Sam's baby.

Sam kissed her mouth - gently at first, then moving to her neck, his kisses becoming more intense. He could feel her body relax against the onslaught of his kisses. A small moan escaped from her lips and they finally let their bodies fall back onto the bed. Jules responded with her own kisses, moving from his neck to down his chest.

Sam suddenly stopped "Is this OK; is it alright to - you know - make love?"

"Of course it is" Jules breathlessly replied, still continuing to kiss his chest.

It was gentle; yet the most passionate they had ever made love.

They lay silent; Jules resting her head against Sam's shoulder. Sam was gently stroking her arm; his headache finally gone; He felt peaceful- finally allowing the day's events to be forgotten just for this evening. This evening belonged to them and their happiness. Tomorrow would be for everything else.

Jules was running her fingers along Sam's chest tracing the lines of his scars. They had faded over the last year, but they were still visible; a reminder just how fragile life was and how close she had come to losing him then and today. Jules was trying to ignore the anxious feeling she had in the pit of her stomach that Sam would never see their baby being born; she hoped it was just her hormones playing tricks with her mind.

"What's for dinner?" Sam asked

"Burnt chicken" Jules replied.

Both pagers started to bleep. Sam looked at the message "Burnt chicken will have to wait, we're needed back at SRU".

I'm sure you all guessed Jules was pregnant - However, much more to come. Hope you liked it - please let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - A Simple Twist of Fate

As they drove towards the SRU building Sam turned and looked at Jules. There was a definite glow about her; he was sure the others would guess right away she was having a baby. God, the very thought petrified and elated him at the same time. He hoped he would be a good father: He wouldn't allow his own childhood memories to stop him from being the best father he could be. He could never; would never inflict his pain onto his child the way his father had. The scars of his past will remain in the past; forever buried and forgotten.

Sam looked over to Jules and wondered if baby thoughts were running through her mind too.

"You OK?"

"I'm OK Sam - just please be careful, no taking any…."

"Stupid risks" Sam interjected "I won't, I promise; I'm going to be a dad" He looked at her with the broadest grin. "When are we going to tell the team?"

"Not yet Sam, it's still early stages; at least let me see the doctor first and then I'll decide"

"Jules, you will have to tell them soon; it's not like we do a normal 9-5 job".

Sam looked at Jules and imagined what it would be like to have a son or daughter "Do you know when the baby is due?" Sam realized he hadn't even asked her. How something so important could have slipped his mind and then he remembered the events of the day: A child had died; a child he should have saved. Jules would understand - she always understood and that was why he loved her.

"I think May/June time, but the doctor will be able to tell me more accurately. Are you really happy, Sam, about the baby I mean?"

"I couldn't be happier, but you have to promise me you will be careful too".

"I will; I'm carrying very precious cargo". Jules replied, releasing one hand from the steering wheel and rested it on her tummy "I will keep baby Braddock safe I promise".

Sam leant across and kissed her cheek - it made her smile - he loved seeing her smile.

"What about names?" Sam asked

"Sam; too early" and then she smiled "maybe we can talk about names when we get home".

They both knew they could not continue the conversation once inside the SRU building, but Sam knew they wouldn't be able to stop talking about it once they got home.

Sam and Jules met Spike on their way into the building.

"Any idea Spike why we've been called back?" Sam asked the SRU's resident technical expert and best friend.

"No, just got a page - no doubt we'll find out soon enough."

Ed was already seated at the briefing table along with Greg and Leah.

"Sorry guys to call you back in - Sam do you feel OK? We could manage without you if you're not feeling up to it."

"No, I'm good Boss" Sam replied. He sat at the briefing table next to Jules; Spike took his seat opposite.

"OK guys, sorry to call you back in but Team Two has been delayed on an armed incident so we have the assignment of issuing warrants" Greg smiled, he knew this was not what the team was expecting and the groans from all of them confirmed it.

"Boss, I think my arm is playing up" Sam started to say and everybody laughed. Jules jokingly slapped his arm.

"Sorry Sam, you said you were OK so you're not getting out of this". Greg replied smiling and then continued "You two sorted out your differences?"

"Yes Boss" they both looked at each other and replied simultaneously; Sam gently squeezed her leg. They were happy; they had a secret and that secret made them both unbelievably happy.

"Good, we leave in 10; suit up and let's go and keep the peace". Greg said to his team and they all stood and headed for the locker rooms.

The three SUV's left the SRU parking lot - Greg with Leah, Ed with Sam and Spike with Jules.

"You two really OK?" Spike asked Jules once inside the vehicle.

"Yeah Spike, we're fine" Jules replied. Spike knew not to push the point - if Jules said they were fine, it was good enough for him. Radios on; any conversations of a personal nature ceased.

Ed asked Sam the very same question and was given the same response. They were fine - drama over.

Sam hated issuing warrants; he would rather run drills than drive around the city for hours arresting low life drug dealers and other unsavory characters.

Finally, at 2.30 am Sam and Jules returned home; exhausted they fell into bed. Sam drew Jules close to him and wrapped his arms around her. It had been a long, emotionally charged day, but they were finally where they loved being; home and with each other. The only upside to the long shift would be that Team 2 would now cover their morning shift, so they could rest and recharge and could visit the doctor without having to make up an excuse as to why they were late for work.

Sam and Jules were blissfully happy; her pregnancy confirmed and they had a preliminary date; Baby Braddock was due June 8th and everything was well; Jules was in good health. Her ultrasound appointment booked for three weeks' time, when her actual due date would be confirmed.

Team One was ten minutes into their shift when the call came which would effectively devastate them all, but Sam especially.

"Hot Call Team One, Officer down at Team Two's location". Winnie announced.

Greg and the others immediately gathered around the desk; they needed to know who it was and what had happened

"That's all I have Boss; John Sullivan put the call through and will meet you on the scene - Corner of Bookfeld Place and Sheridan".

Everyone was worried; officer down was the call every SRU officer feared - one of their own was injured, possibly worse.

As the three SRU vehicles arrived they knew it was bad; EMS was on scene so too was SIU. There was a wide perimeter with uniformed officers protecting the scene. Greg was the first to disembark from his vehicle; his face tense - he made his way over to John Sullivan who looked visibly distressed.

The others got out of their vehicles and stood and watched as the two sergeants spoke. The team watched as Greg placed a comforting hand on John Sullivan's shoulder; a deep sadness had washed over their faces. The team waited for Greg to return and let them know who it was and their condition and what the hell had happened.

Sam looked at Greg, as he headed back to his team. Sam instinctively knew it was the news he didn't want to hear; the news everyone was dreading. Greg took Sam by the arm and moved him to one side.

"Sam, it's Andrew - I'm so sorry he's dead Sam; I know he was a good friend of yours".

Sam did not believe what Greg had just told him. He was wrong, he had to be. Andrew wasn't dead; he couldn't be. The others had overheard and Jules put both her hands to her mouth and gasped. "My God; not Andrew". Tears filled her large brown eyes and had started to fall freely down her cheeks. Everyone was stunned into silence.

Sam could barely speak but had to know what had happened to his friend.

Greg advised the team that the incident happened just over an hour ago. Andrew had set up a sierra position on top of a building; when the hostage negotiations had broken down Andrew was given the scorpio order and had shot the individual. When Team Two were ready to leave the scene, Andrew had still not returned and when Benton and Daniels went to investigate they found Andrew dead; shot through the head. There was no evidence of anyone else on the roof top, no spent cartridges. It was only preliminary, but it looked like Andrew had been shot by a sniper shortly after he had shot the subject. The area was cordoned off in case the sniper was still active, but it had been an hour and no further shots had been fired. It was believed the scene was safe to commence a search of the surrounding buildings and for the paramedics to remove Andrew's body.

"What do you want us to do Boss?" Ed asked, still visibly shaken by the news that they had lost a colleague. Ed had grown fond of the young officer when he was seconded to Team 1 while Sam was recovering from his injuries. Andrew had reminded him of Sam when Sam had joined the team; green, but eager to learn. He was a good cop and with Sam's help had become an excellent sniper and didn't deserve to have his life cut short in this way.

"All the surrounding buildings need to be checked for any sign of a sniper, but stay safe; it may have been an hour but let's not take any chances."

Sam saw the body bag being carried towards the waiting ambulance and stood rooted to the spot; he needed to see his friend - he wouldn't believe it until he saw him; saw for himself that Andrew was gone. Jules stayed too; her hand resting on Sam's arm. There would be time to carry out a search, right now Sam needed her.

Sam slowly walked to the vehicle "Can I see him?"

The EMS paramedic nodded and unzipped the black body bag. A single hole in the middle of Andrew's forehead; the only sign of injury. The blood soaked wadding Andrew's head was resting on signified the back of his skull had been shattered into tiny pieces.

Sam tried to speak; tried to say something meaningful to his friend. He couldn't find the words; his brain screaming that this was wrong; a nightmare that he would soon wake up from. Andrew, his friend, was dead. At the age of 28 his life cut short by an unknown assailant.

The paramedic zipped up the body bag and put Andrew's body into the ambulance. As he watched the ambulance disappearing from view, Sam knew there would be one more job he had to do; he had to tell Olivia.

"Boss - who is going to tell Andrew's parents?" Sam asked.

"That, unfortunately, will be John's responsibility" Greg said remembering the time he had to tell Mr & Mrs Young their son had been killed attempting to diffuse a bomb which had been booby-trapped with an IAD. He recalled how totally devastated they were and how he had cried along with them feeling the loss of Lew so acutely. Even now, after all this time, his heart still ached whenever he thought about his young officer.

"I need to tell Olivia, Boss - can you manage without me?" Sam asked. Greg knew Andrew had a girlfriend; but that was as much as he knew. He had not really known anything about Andrew's private life, but knew Sam had formed a firm friendship with the young officer. He knew too that Sam would be the only one who could convey the news.

"We can manage Sam, take the SUV - we'll meet you back at the barn".

Sam wrapped his arms around Jules and kissed her forehead "I've got to tell Liv - she needs to hear it from me". Sam and Jules would never normally show such a visible display of affection while on duty, but right at that moment Sam didn't care, neither did Jules and under the circumstances, knew their teammates would understand.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Jules asked

"No, Jules, the team needs you here, I'll meet you back at SRU".

As Sam watched Jules start to walk away he called her name. He wanted to run after her and hold onto her. He didn't want her looking for someone who could extinguish her life and their unborn baby's life without blinking. He wanted her at home and safe and nowhere near anyone with a gun.

Jules turned to look at him.

"Be careful Jules".

"I will; precious cargo" Jules mouthed back to Sam. Jules then ran off to join her colleagues to search for someone or something that would give them answers as to why this had happened.

Sam climbed into the SUV and sat looking out at the scene. The rain, which had always threatened to fall from the dark oppressive clouds, was now falling and fast becoming torrential. A cruel twist as any forensic evidence was rapidly being washed away by the unforgiving weather.

This should have been Team One's call - it would have been him on the roof top and Andrew should have been safe at home with Olivia; only fate had intervened and now lives are about to be irrecoverably changed forever and hearts unbearably broken.

Twenty minutes later Sam pulled up outside the house Andrew and Olivia had just moved into.

Olivia Garton was gorgeous, 25, tall; slim with long, dark brown hair and skin; a silky, soft light brown.

Olivia had met Andrew when he had to give evidence in the Otis Saunders trial - she was a paralegal working with the Prosecutor and Andrew was instantly smitten. The trial lasted five weeks and on the final day when the jury was sent to deliberate she knew she had fallen in love. She was in love with the handsome SRU sniper with dark brown hair and amazing hazel eyes. They started dating immediately and on their third date Andrew knew she was the one; she rocked his world.

Sam sat in the car remembering their engagement party just eight weeks before. He smiled slightly recalling Andrew; drunk, beer in one hand; his other arm around Sam's shoulder "Do you remember" Andrew said slurring his words into Sam's ear "you told me that when you meet someone that rocks your world - you need to hang on to them - Liv rocks my world, Sam."

Sam now had to tell her he was gone; Andrew wouldn't be coming home; would never be coming home. He slowly got out of the car and headed to the front door.

"Sam, hi - Andrew's not here…."

Olivia was puzzled ; why would Sam be here; he knew Andrew was working.

"Liv, can I come in?"

Olivia knew instantly from the look on Sam's face that something was terribly wrong; her heart began to beat so fast she thought it would explode: She knew she didn't want to hear what Sam was there to tell her.

Her brain went immediately into denial mode: "He'll be home soon".

"I need to speak to you Liv". He didn't want to be there anymore than she wanted him there, but this had to be done - he had to tell her.

Olivia stood aside and let Sam through the doorway and into the lounge area at the front of the house. The Victorian style house; still with unopened cardboard boxes containing the memories of lives not yet lived; of dreams not yet fulfilled and hearts about to be forever broken.

Olivia knew the news was going to be bad, but they would cope; coma they could deal with, if he was paralyzed they would deal with that too. Whatever it was they would face it together.

"Liv, please come and sit down, I need to tell you…"

Olivia stopped Sam from continuing the sentence, her brain knew what he was about to say, but her heart would not let him say it.

Olivia couldn't move towards the sofa, her legs had lost their ability to hold the weight of her body. She knew now what people meant when they said 'their legs went to jelly' because that is exactly how her legs felt; she could feel them start to buckle from under her.

Sam saw Liv about to fall and quickly held onto her and helped her to the sofa.

"Please don't day it Sam, please".

Andrew is not dead - he can't be. He had phoned her not 2 hours ago; he told her he loved her as he always did and told her not to move any of the boxes without him.

"I'm so sorry Liv. Andrew was k…..he's gone."

Olivia's life ripped apart by one single sentence. Andrew was gone, her life; their life no more. She didn't ask why or how, she couldn't speak; she couldn't breathe. Andrew, the only man she had truly, honestly and completely given her heart too would never walk through the front door of the house they had just bought. Would never kiss her sweetly on the lips before he left for the morning shift. Would never hold her hand and tell her how beautiful she was and how lucky he was to have found her. Would never tell her again how coming home to her made all the crap of his day worthwhile.

She didn't even comprehend she was screaming until arms enveloped and cradled her. Olivia had cried many times before; at Pretty Woman when Richard Gere climbed the steps to Julia Roberts, when Andrew had given her the most amazing engagement ring and asked her to marry him and when her pregnancy test had two blue lines. But the tears falling from her eyes now came from a different place; a place deep inside her soul where only broken hearts were allowed to be.

Sam held onto her for the longest time - unable to speak, unable to summon up any words of comfort. What could he possibly say that would undo

what had already happened. He wanted to tell her that he would find the son of a bitch that had ripped her life apart. He wanted to tell her how great Andrew was and how he adored her and spoke about her all the time, but that would just make the loss more acute - nothing could be said so he stayed quiet and gently rocked Olivia until the sobs had subsided and the tears fell silently onto his uniform.

"Sam", Olivia finally spoke "are you absolutely sure - he could just be really badly injured?" She knew what she was saying was insane, but her brain kept telling her to be sure; that maybe there was still just the tiniest glimmer of hope Sam was wrong.

"Liv, don't do this sweetheart"

"What am I going to do? I won't be able to cope without him - Oh Sam," Olivia's crying intensified once more "he will never see our baby".

Sam closed his eyes and wished for one fleeting second that it had been him on the rooftop and not Andrew.

"Oh God, Liv; you're having a baby?"

Olivia nodded unable to speak. Sam held her more tightly; it was his heart that was racing out of control. How could this happen - how could a simple twist of fate decide whether you live or die; whether you see your baby being born or you don't.

Sam knew that bullet was meant for him; it should have been Team One's shift and it should have been him, not Andrew lying on a cold slab in the mortuary with a bullet in his head.

How could he tell her? How could he explain why he got to live and Andrew had died; why he would see his baby and Andrew would not? He didn't know how to tell her, he only knew he had to.


	4. Chapter 4

Firstly, I need to apologize for making you lovely people wait so long for this update. I'm really disappointed in how this turned out - basically it's crap so profound apologies. I promise to make chapter 5 better. Unfortunately, my laptop had the ' blue screen of death'. I had not heard of this before but it is very bad and all my work was wiped. I know what you're thinking bad writer always blames her laptop but it meant Chapter 4 had to be rewritten, hence why it took me so long to update and why it is crap. Your reviews, good or bad, are always so gratefully received; they make me want to be better.

Chapter 4 - Repercussions

Jules sat in the passenger seat; Ed was driving and Leah sat silently in the back. All of the teams were leaving the scene, each SUV carrying exhausted SRU personnel back to base.

There had been little or no conversation between any of them since hearing the news about Andrew.

Jules eyes were closed; her head leaning against the side window. The noise of the rain beating down on the SUV and the windscreen wipers going back and forth filling the silent void.

"I need a shower" Jules finally said breaking the silence.

"Me too" Leah replied. Then the silence returned.

Ed was trying to concentrate on diving through the city, but his mind was elsewhere too. He couldn't believe what had happened today: A police sniper being killed by another sniper - what were the odds? He would have Googled it, had the circumstances not been so mind-blowingly tragic.

Everyone's mood was somber back at the SRU. Winnie's eyes were red and swollen and there was a distinct sadness in her voice when she spoke.

Jules walked through expecting Sam to be around somewhere but Winnie had told her he had not returned, and hadn't called in.

Jules knew he had probably gone straight home from Olivia's. Her stomach flipped when she thought about Olivia and Sam having to break the news of Andrew's death to her. They were such a cute couple; she and Sam had gone out with them often and she liked them both immensely. There would be no more double dates and no more funny stories over dinner.

Jules decided against showering; she wanted to get home to Sam as soon as possible.

The debriefing had been scheduled for the following morning and Jules was especially grateful not to have to sit around for hours discussing the events of the day and what little information and evidence they had actually gathered from the endless hours of searching.

Greg knew every single one of them had given their all under the most trying of circumstances. He knew also that everyone was grieving the loss of a colleague and although they needed time to come to terms with Andrew's death in the privacy of their homes with family and friends, time, unfortunately was a luxury they didn't have. There was a killer loose on the streets of Toronto, possibly targeting the SRU. Greg sat at the large briefing table and wondered what lay in store for his team and the other members of the SRU in the coming days and how many more lives would be lost before the killer was caught.

Jules was exhausted; both emotionally and physically. As she turned the key she hoped Sam would be home.

She saw him as soon as the door opened and he immediately came and wrapped his arms around her.

Jules hadn't realized until then how completely drained she actually felt; she had been running on adrenalin since hearing the news of Andrew's death. She felt herself relax for the first time in hours and didn't want to break free from his embrace. Sam always made her feel safe and she needed to feel safe; she hadn't felt safe all day - wondering if the shooter was still there and if she was to be his next target.

"How are you feeling? " Sam asked still holding her. It had been one hell of a day for all of them but all of them weren't pregnant just his wife and she looked completely shattered.

"I'm OK; tired but OK"

"I've ran you a bath" Sam added.

"You are a mind-reader, I've been dreaming about a bath for the last two hours; how was Olivia?"

"Go and have your bath, we can talk over dinner".

"That was the second thing I have been dreaming about". Jules slowly climbed the stairs unbuttoning her shirt on the way.

She slipped into the hot soapy water and immediately felt her muscles start to relax. She laid back and let the day's events wash over her. She stroked her tummy; there was no bump; no evidence to show that a baby was growing inside her, but she was already completely in love with her unborn baby. "I'm going to keep you safe little one and daddy too, I promise".

Over dinner Jules told Sam Team 3 had found the bullet embedded in a brick wall behind Andrew. It was a 50 caliber and was low-lying indicating the bullet was travelling in a downward trajectory. The teams had searched every surrounding building up to a half a mile radius and nothing else was found. The unrelenting rain most likely a contributory factor as any evidence would have been destroyed or washed away under its torrential onslaught.

Jules noticed Sam had not eaten anything. He had moved some vegetables around his plate but nothing had actually reached his mouth.

"How was Olivia?" Jules finally asked and knew this was going to be a difficult conversation for Sam.

Sam placed his fork on the plate; he couldn't eat; there had been a permanent lump in his throat since he had told Olivia.

"She's pregnant Jules, a few weeks further along than you".

"What? Oh God No".

Jules pushed her plate away - her appetite gone. Tears started to cascade down her cheeks; she couldn't stop them. She had stopped them all day; kept her emotions in check and did her job, but now at home with Sam she could grieve the loss of a friend and the life he should have had with Olivia and their unborn baby.

Finally, when the crying had subsided Jules and Sam went to bed and even though Jules was more tired than she had felt in forever, sleep was slow to come. Finally, at 2.30 Sam noticed her breathing had slowed; and Jules was finally sleeping. For Sam, sleep did not come at all; events running through his brain over and over trying to make sense of a senseless murder; but the guilt he felt was playing far heavier on his mind. Too many people had lost their lives because of him and now another friend lay dead when it should have been him on the rooftop. He needed to make it right; make amends somehow and as Sam lay listening to the rain still beating heavily on the windows he knew what he had to do.

Sam had finally got up at 5 and went downstairs to make tea. He contemplated leaving Jules to sleep. He knew, however, she would be angry with him if he didn't wake her so he made her favorite cup of herbal tea and gently brushed her hair from her face and kissed her sweetly on the mouth. "Morning beautiful; it's a little after five".

Jules slowly opened her eyes and groaned "It can't be morning already."

"Why don't you let me call in sick for you today and just stay home and rest - everyone will understand."

"I don't want them knowing about the baby yet" Jules replied taking a sip from the tea Sam had handed her.

"They don't need to know you're pregnant Jules, I'll just say you are unwell"; you can stay in bed and catch up on that book you have been so desperate to read".

Jules hated to admit it, but the thought of staying in bed for a few more hours was very appealing. Her entire body ached and she felt exhausted. She could never have been talked into taking a day off before; but things were different now - she needed to consider the life growing inside of her.

Jules capitulated easier than Sam thought, but he was pleased she had agreed to rest for the day. By the time Sam was ready to leave, Jules was already sleeping again. She looked happy wrapped in her dreams as he kissed her softly before leaving.

The morning's debriefing yielded nothing more than they already knew. Andrew had been killed by a 50 caliber bullet and had died instantly. There had been no other evidence found and no one had any leads to the identity of the sniper.

Greg advised that all leave had been cancelled and SRU personnel would now be required to wear helmets on every call. Shields were also to be used and any sniper position would be held by a team of two; one to provide cover for the sniper holding the sierra position.

"Do we think this could be a person with a possible grudge against Andrew or Team 2" Spike asked the rest of the team.

"It is unlikely the sniper knew it was Team 2 on the call or that it was Andrew in the sniper position. If this is someone with a grudge, then most likely it is against the SRU, and snipers in particular- maybe a family member of someone who had been killed by the SRU?" Ed suggested.

"A good place to start - Spike take a look at old cases involving subjects killed by SRU snipers going back over the last six months". Greg asked.

Spike's eyes widened "That's a lot of cases boss; I'll start with those families who had lodged a formal complaint against the SRU"

Greg advised the team that the Mayor had ordered a news blackout of the shooting fearing it would fuel panic in the city. He hoped it was a one-off and had asked to be kept personally appraised of the on-going investigation. Greg had advised the Mayor that from his own experience a one-off sniper was unlikely and had warned of possible further casualties before the subject was caught.

Jules finally woke around 11; she felt a pang of guilt about her illicit day off; but Sam was right she needed the day. It had only been two days since she had found out she was having a baby yet it felt like an eternity so much had happened. She needed to rest and later she would call Olivia.

Jules kept looking at the phone debating whether to call Olivia or not. Jules decided she didn't want to say what she needed to say over the phone; she finally summoned up the courage and without waiting another minute picked up the keys to the jeep and drove to Olivia's house. When Olivia finally opened the door Jules embraced her and they both cried.

Olivia told Jules she was 14 weeks pregnant and although she was so happy to be having Andrew's baby, she felt completely lost without him. She told Jules Inspector Holleran and John Sullivan had visited her yesterday and told her Andrew had been shot and killed in the line of duty and promised the SRU and the Toronto Police Force would use every resource available to bring Andrew's killer to justice.

"I asked them what had happened and they said they couldn't tell me the details surrounding his death because it could compromise the ongoing investigation. Do you know what happened to Andrew, Jules?"

Jules looked at Olivia and wished she could answer her questions but she knew that even if she did tell her exactly what happened to Andrew, it wouldn't make her pain any less, and could make it worse - if that was at all possible. She hated not being honest with Olivia, but the rules were very clear and breaking them would land Jules in serious trouble.

"Sam told me Team 2 was covering Team 1's shift. We should have been unpacking boxes and shopping for baby clothes - instead Andrew's dead because he had to cover your shift".

It had been the first time since Jules had arrived at Olivia's that she heard resentment in her voice. She understood why she felt that way; she just hoped their friendship would survive when the truth about what happened to Andrew finally came out.

It was getting on for six when Jules left. She had promised Olivia she and Sam would come and see her on their next day off and had volunteered Sam to do some heavy lifting for her.

Jules told Sam she had seen Olivia but hadn't said anything about her own pregnancy. Sam said he understood her reluctance to tell Olivia, but felt she should tell her soon. Jules knew Sam was right and wished she had been brave enough to have told her when she was there. She promised herself she would call Olivia when their shift finished tomorrow and tell her about the baby. The rest of their evening was more relaxed than it had been all week; they even managed to watch a film, or rather Jules watched it as Sam was asleep before it had even started and had woken when the end credits were rolling.

It was Friday morning and four days since Andrew's death when Winnie advised Team One of a possible sniper shooting in the city center.

Every team member was on edge when they arrived on the scene. Uniformed officers had assembled and the body of middle aged women lay dead in the street. She had been shot through the head; the contents of her shopping bag scattered across the sidewalk.

"Same guy?" Ed asked but knowing with a fair degree of certainty that this was the same guy. He had upped the ante: This was out in a public place there would be no way the Mayor could stop this from making the evening news and panic among the people in the city was now inevitable. It took a cold-hearted individual to shoot a defenseless middle aged woman in the head. Ed had never been completely at ease with taking a life, but he did so to keep his teammates safe or to protect innocent victims. As Ed crouched behind a SUV, he hoped it would be him who would be given the scorpio order and end the snipers life.

"Spike, any ideas where the shot could have come from?" Greg asked his technical expert as he looked at the surrounding buildings.

"She appears to have been shot face-on so he could have been in any one of the buildings on the north side." Spike replied pointing to a large group of tall building behind them.

"OK team, start searching the buildings on the north side and stay safe; he's probably long gone but let's not take any chances. Jules, Leah start interviewing witnesses".

It was two hours before the area was deemed safe enough to remove the woman's body. Greg was tired and angry; he didn't like the way this was being played out. He was a patient son-of-a-bitch, he would give him that. One kill every four days; no evidence, and plenty of time for him to be long gone before any police showed up. Greg hoped no more lives would be lost. If he was a creature of habit they had just four days to find out who his next target was and why: At the moment it appeared random but Greg knew it was seldom random; there had to be a link between the SRU and this woman, and they had to find it before he killed again.

Back at the SRU, Spike set to work; a large pile of buff colored folders sat neatly to his left.

"Need some help?" Sam asked as he made his way over to Spike.

"That would be Samstastic" Spike replied.

"What are we looking for?" Sam asked picking up the first folder.

"Any case which resulted in an official complaint being lodged against the SRU by family members."

"What about the woman this morning; do we know who she is yet?"

"Homicide has just sent over her details; Karen Jackson aged 52 - resident of Parkdale. She was in the city to meet her daughter".

Sam sat looking at the picture of the woman trying to understand why the sniper would murder a stranger walking along the street; Sam continued looking at the photograph. He knew for sure he had never met this woman, but there was something about her; her face was familiar.

"Did she work?" Sam asked Spike.

"According to the police report Karen Jackson was a housewife; married to John Jackson with two daughters both married with jobs in the city. No criminal record for anyone in the family. Why she was targeted is anyone's guess - maybe it is random?"

"If he is targeting his victims at random, we have no hope of finding out who he is" Sam said

"Unless he makes a mistake" Spike replied.

"We can't wait for him to make a mistake and I don't believe this is random" Greg interjected "He is too precise; too detailed. One kill every four days is not random. There is a connection between the two victims I am absolutely convinced of that; we just have to find it and the answer could lay in one of those files".

"Let's hope so" Sam replied as he and Spike began the arduous task of sifting through pages of case files.

"Want some coffee Sam - this could take a while".

Sam nodded and as Spike went to get the coffee Sam looked at the photograph of the woman again.

"Boss, can I take some personal time?" Sam suddenly asked Greg

"Is it important?"

"Very".

"OK, be back in one hour".

"Will do Boss, thanks".

Sam's heart was racing; if he was right about the dead woman, this was a whole different ball game.


	5. Chapter 5 - Shattered Hearts

Chapter 5 - Shattered Hearts

Sam had met Jules in the corridor on his way out. He told her he needed to take off for a while; Greg knew and he would be back in an hour. He placed a quick soft kiss on her cheek before exiting through the doors giving Jules no time to ask any questions.

Jules still had the remains of a puzzled look when she walked back into the operations room.

"Are you OK?" Spike asked Jules noticing she was looking a little perplexed.

"I'm fine" brushing off her confused look "need any help?"

""That is exactly what your husband said and then he left without saying a word".

"What exactly were you two doing before he left?"

"He had asked about the woman this morning; I showed him her photograph, I went to get some coffee and when I came back he had gone".

"Can I see the photograph?" Jules asked and then watched as Spike sifted through the paperwork sitting on the desk.

"It's not here" Spike replied looking confused and more than a little irritated. He was by nature a very precise individual and had never mislaid anything especially photographic evidence from an ongoing police investigation.

"Can you pull her image up on the computer?"

Spike started typing and seconds later the image of the woman from her driver's license appeared on the computer screen.

Jules studied the image carefully. She knew she had never seen the woman before; but had Sam recognized her?

"What are you looking for?" Spike asked

"Nothing; just thought I might have recognized her from an old case."

"And?"

"And, No, I have never seen her before". Jules picked up a file and started reading.

Jules tried to concentrate on the case files, but she had an uneasy feeling gnawing at her. _What have you found out Sam; what was so important that you couldn't tell me or the team?_

Sam was tapping his hands on the steering wheel to no beat in particular; he was in the middle of a traffic jam with no possible exits for at least half a mile. He had no choice but to sit and wait for the traffic to start moving. He had told Greg he would be an hour - at this rate he would be lucky to make it back in two. He wondered if he should have said anything to Jules, but he wasn't sure about the woman; he needed to ask the one person who would know for certain. Thoughts were running through his head like a goddamn freight train. He was worried about Jules - he wanted her to tell the team about the baby - he didn't want her to wait another day. He wanted her in the command truck where she and their baby would be safe. He felt guilty that he hadn't been able to show how completely and utterly over the moon he was about their baby; the events of the week had placed such a cloud over them. Losing Tyler Richardson, the little boy he should have saved, only added to his guilt. Now Andrew's gone, killed by a sniper covering Team One's shift. Everything was messed up; everything except Jules and the baby. He had to hold onto that; keep believing things would get better. He was married to the most amazing woman and they were going to be parents. Although life could be cruel; it could also be incredible.

Damn traffic, if he had taken an SUV from the lot he could have put the sirens and got through the traffic faster.

Finally, the cars started to move and he managed to exit the next left turn.

"Hot Call, Team One, shots fired at Victoria Park Station". Winnie's voice bringing the team to attention.

Greg quickly gathered the information from the SRU Despatcher and all were geared up and ready to leave within five minutes.

"What about Sam? Jules asked Greg.

"Phone him Jules, give him the location and tell him to meet us there".

Jules took out her phone and pressed call against Sam's name. '_You have reached Sam Braddock - I am __unable to take your call right now, leave a message and I will get back to you'._

"Sam, we have a call; Boss said to meet us there - Victoria Park station - hostage situation. Call me back as soon as you get this."

"It's going to voice-mail Boss, but I left a message; gave the location and told him to meet us there".

Team One arrived 15 minutes later. Uniformed police were on scene and informed Greg a young male teen was holding a 9mm handgun to the head of his young female hostage.

"Jules, you want to take the lead on this one?"

Jules debated telling Greg about the baby; she knew Greg would order her straight to the command truck once he knew about her pregnancy - it was the rules. She hadn't taken the lead in a negotiation for some time; she felt the adrenalin start to run through her veins; she wanted this one more time. Tomorrow, she promised herself, she would tell the team tomorrow; no more negotiations, no more running down subjects; she would be hidden away encased in a bullet proof truck until she had the baby.

"Sure, no problem Boss".

"Ed and Leah provide cover; Spike try and find out who this kid is". Greg gave the orders but knew his team was already in position. They were a tight, disciplined, highly trained unit and he trusted each of them to be focused on the current situation and not let thoughts of a possible sniper hinder the negotiations.

"On it Boss" Spike took up his position in the command truck and immediately set to work.

The station had been evacuated and only a few transport personnel were left standing behind the police cordon.

Jules walked slowly towards the young man. It would be foolish to think Jules had no thoughts of the sniper hiding on a rooftop somewhere, ready to shoot anyone of them at any time: She glanced momentarily up at the skyline of the buildings surrounding her before turning her attention to the subject and to resolving the current situation peacefully.

Jules placed her hand on Ed's shoulder; he was in front of her with his MK5 submachine gun raised and ready. Leah was just to her left and was pointing her MK5 directly at the hostage taker's head. Any sudden escalation from the assailant would result in his death; and that would not be happening today - not if Jules had anything to do with it.

"Hi, my name is Jules, Jules Callaghan; I'm with the Strategic Response Unit. Can you tell me your name?"

"Brian".

"What is your last name Brian?"

"Jackson; my name is Brian Jackson…she's leaving me, tell her she can't leave me. Tell her she has to stay". The hostage taker replied.

This was a promising start to the negotiation; the young man was already cooperating and although he still held a gun to the girl's head, his posture had already become less threatening.

"Is she your friend Brian, can you tell me her name?" Jules looked at the young girl he was holding and thought she looked no older than sixteen. Jules tried to reassure her without saying a word, tried to let her know she would do her best to get her back to her family safely.

Spike on hearing the name started to type frantically searching for clues to the young boy's identity.

"Boss, I have an address - Brian lives with his parents in Scarborough; sending uniformed offices to the address now - I also have a telephone number for the parents."

Greg made his way back to the command truck - this was the least favorite part of his job - telling the parents their son was armed and had taken a hostage and best case scenario he would be going to prison for a long time; worst case scenario - did not bear thinking about.

Greg advised the boy's parents that uniformed officers would be arriving shortly to bring them to the scene. He asked if anything had happened at home which could have resulted in the current situation. They advised Greg their son Brian had been upset because his girlfriend, Lisa Sheldon, was moving to Atlanta and was leaving the following day. Brian was 17; Lisa 16 and they had been inseparable since meeting in high school two years ago. Greg did his best to put them at ease; but they needed to know their soon was already facing a long period in prison; the SRU's prime objective was a peaceful resolution and to keep Brian and Lisa alive.

"The hostage is Lisa Sheldon - Spike find a number for her family and get them on the phone". Another tough call Greg did not want to make.

Seconds later Spike had the information and Greg made the call.

Greg could hear Jules through his headset talking calmly to the young boy. Negotiations appeared to be going well; hopefully there would be a peaceful solution. He was proud of Jules; she was handling herself admirably despite the events of the past week.

Sam pulled up to the house for the second time that week. He hated having to talk to Olivia about this, but there was no one else he could ask.

Olivia looked tired, her normally glowing soft brown skin was pale and dark circles were framing tired, sad eyes. Sam leaned forward to kiss Olivia on the cheek but she quickly turned her face away, evading his offer of affection and responded with a curt hello. He knew she resented him; it was an inevitable outcome of telling her Andrew was covering Team One's shift, but he had no choice, he had to be honest with her.

"What do you want Sam?" Olivia asked her voice devoid of emotion; her usual warm demeanor gone and replaced with anger and bitterness. She sat in the armchair opposite him and uneasily played with her skirt; her eyes remaining focused on the intricate stitching of the garment, desperately trying to avoid meeting his eyes. Sam knew she was uncomfortable with him being there and the realization that he had lost two friends the day Andrew died saddened him. His throat was dry and as he tried to speak, his voice cracked with emotion.

"I would not have troubled you if it wasn't important Liv. I need to show you a photograph."

Sam took the folded photograph from his pocket. He opened it carefully and walked over to Olivia.

"Do you recognize this woman?"

Olivia took the photograph and glanced at the woman "No, Sam I don't".

"Take another look, are you sure you don't recognize her? It is really important". Sam pleaded.

"Has she got anything to do with Andrew's murder?"

"She was the sniper's second victim - Liv, are you sure you do not recognize her?"

Olivia studied the photograph carefully; it took only seconds for her to realize who she was looking at.

"The Otis Sanders trial; Jesus Sam, she was on the jury. How is that possible?" Olivia had momentarily forgotten her resentment towards Sam. "Did Andrew's death have something to do with the Sanders trial?"

"I'm not sure, but I know this is no coincidence - I just needed to be sure who she was before I told anyone else".

"Sam, you gave evidence at the trail and what about everyone else; the Judge the Prosecutor are they all in danger?"

"I don't know what any of this means" Sam replied honestly. "We have a lead; that's all. We still don't know who he is and who he will be targeting next." Sam looked at Olivia and his mind went back to their first meeting. Andrew had accidently bumped into her at the court; knocking her papers from her hand. From that moment on Andrew had driven Sam insane constantly talking about the gorgeous paralegal. Eventually, Sam had threatened to tell Olivia himself if he didn't ask her out. So Andrew summoned up the courage and asked Olivia out to dinner but then he had begged and begged until Sam and Jules gave in and went along too. The four of them had enjoyed many nights out after that: Dinner at Luigi's and drinks at the Goose. He and Jules liked their company and their friendship was comfortable and easy. But Andrew was gone and Sam owed it to him and their friendship to keep Olivia safe.

"Liv, can you leave Toronto for a while - is there anyone you can stay with?"

"Do you think he will come after me?" Olivia's face instantly etched in fear and panic.

"I don't want to take any chances; but anyway getting away from everything for a while may be good for you." Sam was trying not to scare Olivia more than she already was; the truth was he was terrified for her.

"No, Sam, I tell you what would be good for me; Andrew not being dead would be good for me and my baby still having a father would be good for me." She knew in her heart none of what was happening was Sam's fault but she was angry and scared and needed someone to blame. The tears Olivia had been desperately trying to stop were now falling down her cheeks. Sam held her tightly and for the first time that day she did not push him away, but held him just as tightly.

"I'm so sorry this has happened to you" Sam whispered as she wept into his chest.

"I'm sorry too".

"I have an aunt in Ottowa I can stay with." Olivia finally said, wiping the tears from her cheeks; I will give her a call and let her know I'm coming". Olivia left to go upstairs. She returned twenty minutes later; she had changed her clothes and had a small suitcase in her hand.

Sam was relieved there would be one less person for him to worry about.

As Sam drove back towards the SRU he felt better than he had all day. Olivia was safely on her way out of the city and he had a potential lead on the sniper. The biggest worry now; If this was something to do with the Otis Sanders trial, there could be many potential targets; too many to protect them all.

Both Lisa and Brian's parents were brought to Greg in the command truck by uniformed officers. Lisa's mother was crying hysterically, holding an envelope in her hand.

"It's from Lisa, she says she doesn't want to leave Brian and they would rather die together than be apart".

Lisa's father explained they were due to fly to Atlanta the following day, but Lisa had been upset about the move for weeks and said she did not want to leave Brian.

Greg took off his cap and rubbed his head. He knew the information had potentially changed the situation and it was now looking increasingly likely this would not end well for anyone.

"Jules the situation has changed. Lisa has written what appears to be a suicide note; this may not be a straightforward hostage situation - we could be looking at suicide by cop - go careful Jules." Greg spoke through his com link but the words had barely left his lips when shots were heard.

No one, least of all Jules, expected Lisa Sheldon to be hiding a gun in the pocket of her jacket. When Brian pointed the gun at Jules, Ed had fired and ended Brian's life. As Jules moved toward the hostage, Lisa took a gun from her jacket and fired twice. Leah shot and killed Lisa, The bodies of the young couple lay together on the floor, blood pooling like a crimson lake around their heads.

"Subjects neutralized" Leah confirmed.

"Officer down, officer down" Ed was screaming into his headset "Jules has been hit".

The force knocked Jules backwards at least five feet instantly expelling the air from her lungs. She landed hard on the concrete concourse and the more she struggled to breathe, the less she was able to. Dots started to dance in front of her eyes; she felt sick and dizzy, but all Jules could think about was the baby growing inside of her.

Jules was trying to speak to Ed; she needed to tell him about the baby. She should have told Greg, why didn't she tell Greg? She should have been in the command truck, safe.

Finally she found her voice "Ed, I'm Ok; just winded."

"Jules, lay still, EMS are on the way". Ed spoke softly; he needed to keep her calm and her breathing slow.

"Ed, I'm OK, just had the wind knocked out of me is all" Jules was protesting trying to stand. Why couldn't she stand? Jesus she felt tired all of a sudden.

"Jules, you're bleeding; you need to lay still and slow your breathing".

Jules felt Ed take hold of her hand; she hoped she wasn't dying - Sam would be so mad at her; the baby - what about her baby? She tried to hold on; to stay awake but the darkness grew like a black veil until it enveloped her completely.

San looked at his watch; shit he had been a lot longer than he said. He needed to call Greg to let him know he was on his way back. As he took out his phone he noticed several missed calls. He was expecting to be seriously reprimanded, but hoped he would be forgiven when he told them what he had discovered about the sniper's second victim.

"Boss, sorry I was held up, but I think I have a lead on the sniper case…"

"Sam" Greg interrupted; his voice seeped in sadness and concern.

"Boss?" Sam knew from Greg's tone that something was seriously wrong. He swallowed hard trying to force the saliva down his throat. Had the sniper struck again? He waited, unable to draw a breath, hearing his own heartbeat hammering loudly in his ears.

"It's Jules; she's been hurt; we are at St. Simons".

"How bad?"

"I'll explain when you get here".

Sam was hyperventilating as he raced through to city; maneuvering the jeep through traffic and nearly sideswiping a black BMW which he had miraculously avoided striking by millimeters. Sam's driving skills were being put to the test as he weaved in an out of the other vehicles. His only focus was Jules and getting to the hospital in the quickest time possible.

Sam was praying as he drove, praying to everyone he had lost to keep Jules alive.

Sam parked the jeep and ran - faster than he had ever run before. He was thankful it was St. Simons; he knew every inch of the hospital; he did not have to waste time asking for directions, he knew where she would be and arrived barely a minute later.

He saw Greg and Spike sitting in the waiting area outside the trauma bay.

"Where is she? What happened?" Sam pleaded desperate for information.

"Sit down Sam, take a breath" Greg told his officer kindly. "She's been taken to surgery - she was shot twice one bullet hit her vest, the other just missed her vest and hit her lower abdomen."

Sam put his head in his hands; it was the only way he could stop the scream that was about to escape from his mouth.

Spike walked over and sat next to Sam and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She will be OK Sam". Sam nodded in acknowledgement, but couldn't speak; he could not tell Spike how desperately scared he felt right at that moment. Spike didn't know, no one knew there were two lives at stake and Sam couldn't comprehend losing either of them.

**OK so Chapter 5 is finally up - sorry to leave you hanging but it was actually a really good place to end the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did nothing would make me happier than for you to tell me by writing a review - however small. For those of you who didn't like it - I'm sorry - but I appreciate comments good or bad.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Regrets

**Thank you for waiting patiently for this update. I need to let you all know this is a Sam and Jules chapter. Hope you like it, but the only way I will know this is if you leave me a review. Thank you to all of you who have stayed with this story. You know who you are and you are all AMAZING. Action will be back in Chapter 7.**

Chapter 6 - Regrets

Ed made his way to the waiting area. He saw Greg standing by the double doors leading through to the trauma unit. His face displaying a million worries. Any news on Jules? Ed asked looking over his shoulder at Sam who looked like his whole world had just collapsed. Sam was sitting in a chair; his head leaning against the back wall and he was staring at nothing, lost in his own thoughts.

"She's still in surgery" Greg replied.

"Did he know about the baby?" Ed asked in a quieter tone, not wanting Sam to overhear their conversation.

Greg looked over at his young officer; he too felt for Sam, his devastation clear for all to see. Spike was seated next to Sam, but no one was talking. "They only found out this week - Ed she should have told me; I would never have put her in as lead negotiator if I had known".

Ed recalled earlier when Jules had shakily grabbed Ed's arm as she was being loaded into the ambulance. Ed had reassured her that she would be OK, but he didn't know, not really know that she would make it; there was a lot of blood and her complexion was the wrong side of grey; he reassured her just the same. It was then she told him, not realizing at first what she had said; faint whispers of words leaving her lips. "Baby, Ed….I'm… Baby." And before Ed could find out more, her eyes had closed. The paramedics had virtually pushed Ed out of the ambulance.

He understood; he wished he hadn't. Did Sam know? Would he have to tell Sam his wife had been shot and she was also pregnant? That would be too much for any man to handle. But he couldn't tell him; SIU were waiting to lead him and Leah away to have every action they had taken pulled apart, dissected and scrutinized. Ed had told Greg and it would be the Team's Sergeant who would have the unenviable task of telling Sam.

Greg had told Sam as gently as he could, when Spike had left to get coffees. Greg had sat down next to Sam and spoke to him. But Sam did know, Jules had told him on Monday. "She…. we were going to tell you Boss… there just wasn't time … with everything going on, the sniper and Andrew: She's going to be OK, Boss, isn't she?"

Greg had been trained not to lie, never tell a subject a lie; the training clear and concise: But this wasn't a subject, this was Sam and Greg needed to keep him positive. "She will be just fine Sam". Greg hoped it wasn't a lie.

And when Sam had asked what happened, he told him what he needed to know; the rest could be left for later.

Time was Greg's biggest enemy. Time was running out - they only had a couple of days before the sniper struck again, and that was only if he stayed true to his timetable. He had wanted to ask Sam what he had found out about the sniper. They needed a break in this case, they had no leads but he couldn't bring himself to raise the issue. If they had more time… time … there was never enough time.

So Greg placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder and prayed with the rest of them that Sam would not have to endure another loss in his life.

"How did SIU go?" Greg asked his tactical officer, knowing SIU interrogations were hard for everyone to deal with.

"Not good; Leah was still there when I left. The press will have a field day with this - two teenagers shot to death by SRU" Ed replied. He could only imagine how the story was going to be played out in the papers.

The two officers noticed a doctor walk over to Sam, he spoke quietly; no-one except Spike could hear what he was saying. Sam got up from his seat and followed the doctor down the corridor.

"Spike?"

"He just asked Sam to go with him; Boss, this doesn't look good".

Sam realized his palms were sweating and rubbed them on his pants as he followed the doctor down the corridor. He wanted to scream at him JUST TELL ME IF SHE IS DEAD, but he couldn't. Every step he took he came closer to knowing and then there would be no going back; no turning back time or retracing steps back to the waiting area. Bravery is a funny thing; Sam could enter a building rigged to explode without a second thought, but following the doctor down the corridor was one of hardest things he has ever done. He wanted to turn and run, and keep on running because if she's gone he knew it would be a loss he couldn't bear - and he wouldn't live in a world without her.

Leah arrived shortly after. Her face told a story of an intense interrogation, one she would not want to repeat; the day's events had cut deeply to her core. She looked over to Ed and without a word spoken between them, acknowledged what each had been through over the past three hours. No one on the team would willingly take a life, but ending the life of someone so young was especially difficult. She had endured hours of endless questions and insinuations and now she was here at the hospital to find out if she was going to lose her friend and teammate because her reaction time just wasn't fast enough.

The doctor took Sam to a much smaller waiting room with chairs far more comfortable than the ones he had previously been sitting on.

The doctor motioned for Sam to sit and Sam obliged and waited for the news which would save or destroy him. "Your wife is out of surgery". Sam finally exhaled a breath he had been holding for the longest time. "She lost a fair amount of blood, but the bullet didn't do as much damage as we first feared. She will be very sore for a while and will need to be with us for at least two weeks; she is also going to need some physiotherapy, but I anticipate your wife will make a complete recovery. Unfortunately" the doctor stopped briefly "I am sorry to have to tell you, however, the baby she was carrying did not survive."

Sam sat staring at the doctor unable to speak. His mind had a thousand questions, but he could barely breathe and waited for the doctor to continue.

The doctor's face softened. He had been in this position a hundred times and it never became easy. "I am sorry I know this wasn't the news you was hoping for. However, your wife's injuries will not prevent her from conceiving in the future, but I do suggest you wait at least four months before trying for another baby".

"Does Jules know?" Sam finally managed to speak his voice cracking with the sobs trying to escape from the back of his throat.

"She does."

"Can I see her?"

"By all means, but we are moving her from recovery shortly. If you go back to the waiting area, I'll send someone to find you when you can see her."

Sam walked down the corridor back to the waiting area and his team who would be there waiting patiently for news. Sam felt a sense of relief; when he had walked down this same corridor not fifteen minutes before, he was sure she was dead; that he had lost her. Yet, his relief was masked by a deep inner sadness for their baby. Sam stopped, leant against the wall and sobbed uncontrollable tears for their baby, who had been unplanned and completely unexpected, but so loved and so wanted: In the blink of an eye happiness stripped from them.

Spike was pacing, he had been unable to focus on anything since the doctor had led Sam to another room; it doesn't usually happen that way and he should know, he had been in the waiting room of this very hospital many times before, patiently waiting for news of his teammates. Jules, Ed and Sam had all been here before and each time someone had come and let them know their condition. He didn't want to think what it could mean, but he couldn't think about anything else.

"Boss, is there anyone we could ask about Jules; Sam has been gone for a while" Spike asked becoming more concerned as he watched the second hand move around the clock on the wall opposite him for the twenty-fifth time since Sam had left with the doctor.

Greg walked over to his technical officer "try and be patient Spike, we will know soon enough".

They only had to wait for another minute as they saw Sam heading towards them.

Spike looked at the face of his friend and his heart sank.

Jules was lying in the bed and staring at the ceiling. She didn't feel the pain from the surgery; but she wished she did. Maybe then she wouldn't feel the pain of knowing what she had done.. Tears were falling and dropping on to the pillow. How could she have been so stupid, so reckless with their unborn child. She had broken her promise and now she has lost the baby and Sam. She couldn't face him now, knowing the hurt she had caused. Jules felt her tummy and the dressing covering the wound. "I'm so sorry little one, I'm sorry I didn't protect you". Her crying intensified and the pain in her heart became unbearable. Jules didn't want to be awake, but even sleep wasn't a release; dreams so vivid of her baby alive and safe in her arms, that when she woke she would instinctively look around for the crib. She wanted to scream and she wanted Sam to hold her and take away the pain.

A nurse walked in and tried to soothe Jules. "You need to try and calm down Julianna; your blood pressure is too high; I'm going to have to give you something to settle you; once we have moved you to your room you can see your husband."

"I don't want to see him; please I don't want to see anyone - I just want to sleep".

"OK, I will let Dr. Westlake know; try and rest I will be back in a moment with some medication and you can sleep".

San entered the waiting room; everyone looking at him desperate for news. "She's OK - they are moving her from recovery and then we can see her." He saw the relief on their faces as each had exhaled simultaneously.

Greg moved toward his young officer "Sit down Sam, you look terrible". He placed his hand across Sam's back and led him to the seating area. Greg turned to the others "Can you give us a minute guys?"

Spike and Leah looked confused, but Ed knew why Greg had asked them to leave. "We'll grab some coffees - do you want anything Sam?"

"No, I'm good thanks Ed".

As soon as the others had disappeared Greg sat next to Sam "and the baby, Sam?"

Sam couldn't speak, he just shook his head. Greg embraced him and let his officer cry into his shoulder. "It will be OK Sam, it will just take time … does Jules know?"

Sam composed himself a little enough to tell him that the doctors had already told her. Greg was still comforting Sam when the others returned. Ed looked over at Greg and silently asked the same question; Greg shook his head and Ed uttered a quiet "Oh God."

Spike looked at the scene - he wasn't stupid; there was something seriously wrong. "Ed, what's going on?"

Ed needed to tell Spike and Leah, but didn't want to do it in front of Sam. He motioned for both of them to follow him as he walked down the corridor. "Jules" Ed began but was finding it difficult to find the words "Jules was pregnant, she and Sam had found out earlier in the week".

"Was, as in no more?" Spike asked but not really wanting to know the answer.

"Was, as in she lost the baby, yes Spike".

Spike leant against the wall for support; he wanted to speak to say how fucked up this whole week was, but he didn't; he stayed silent. Leah had raced off; desperately searching for a ladies room and when she did she placed her hands on the basin and watched her tears fall into it.

And when everyone had returned to the waiting area, silence and sadness filled the room.

Another hour had passed when the same doctor walked through the doors. "Julianna has been moved to her room, she is comfortable. I am sorry; she has requested no visitors for the time being. I suggest, therefore, you all go home and get some rest and come back in the morning."

"No, I am not leaving until I see my wife" Sam protested. She wouldn't do this to him. She would know how desperate he would be to see her to make sure for himself she was OK.

"I'm afraid I am under strict instructions; she does not want to see anyone today. Just give her time to come to terms with her situation and I am sure she will agree to visitors tomorrow."

Greg looked over at Sam, he looked lost and confused but Greg understood what Jules was doing. She couldn't face him; she thought he would blame her. He walked over to the doctor and quietly told him he was Julianna's commanding officer and needed to speak to her briefly about the incident. The doctor complied with Greg's request and showed him to her room. Before he left the doctor warned Greg to make his visit brief and not to upset her in any way.

Greg walked quietly into her room. "Jules" he said softly and watched as she slowly open her eyes.

"Boss" Jules was surprised to see Greg standing by her bed, she shifted slightly, uncomfortable with him being there, but she didn't say, she had far too much respect for her Sergeant.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but other than that OK, I guess" She replied, nervously tidying her hair.

"Jules, I am so sorry this happened to you and … and the baby".

"That's life, I suppose" Jules replied. She just needed to keep it together until he left.

Greg saw the tears well up in her chocolate brown eyes and although she had tried to keep her tone upbeat, he wasn't fooled for a second. He took her hand in his and gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I know what happened to you was awful, but Sam is suffering too and you refusing to see him is destroying him." Greg paused and as gently as he could added "it was his baby too".

"I can't; I've ruined everything and he will never forgive me".

"Jules, you know Sam would never blame you. He just wants to know you are OK. Don't add to his hurt, Jules, see him, talk to him that is the only way you will both survive this. "Greg kissed her softly on her forehead. As Greg walked towards the door, Jules called after him. "Boss, tell Sam I want to see him please".

"Will do Jules, you just hurry up and get better, the SRU is not the same without you".

Jules held her breath as Sam walked over to her bed.

"How are you sweetheart? You had me so worried - I thought I had lost you". His words were soft and gentle and she saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Sam I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have told Greg about the baby and now it's too late.

"Sweetheart you were doing your job and you were trying to help a young girl. You cannot blame yourself; this was not your fault."

Jules turned her face away from Sam - she couldn't look at him; how could he love her now knowing what she had done - She had lost them both in one stupid, irresponsible act. Tears were falling; and the more she wiped them away the more they fell.. Sam touched her face and moved it gently to face him "there will be other babies Jules; we will have a hockey team; just you wait and see". But Jules wasn't listening and she turned her head away again.

Did she not understand, he could never blame her? He had been plagued by guilt and blame all his life. It had ravaged his soul and then he had met her and she had saved him. He will not let the same happen to her.

"Jules, you have to listen to me; I do not forgive you simply because there is nothing to forgive. We lost our baby Jules and it was not your fault; it's just life and sometimes life is crap. You can't walk away from what we have because of this. I love you Jules and I will not let you destroy us". He kissed her on the mouth, a sweet, tender kiss. He tasted the saltiness of her tears on his tongue. "The only thing that would destroy me, sweetheart, was if I lost you".

Jules finally knew he didn't blame her, would never blame her and maybe in time they would be able to move on from this; she just had to learn to forgive herself and that could take a little longer.

**Chapter 7 will be up soon. I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter. Review please if you feel it is worthy of your time. I apologize to everyone who didn't like it.**

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	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry for the long wait and I hope you think it was worth it. However, Chapter 8 is nearly complete so hopefully you will not have to wait too long for an update. For giggles811 as promised.**

Chapter 7 - To Catch a Sniper

It was just after 2.00 am when Sam entered the car park of the hospital. The autumn weather had suddenly turned wintery; flakes of snow swirling around the biting wind. Oblivious to the cold, he didn't feel the icy wind ripping through his uniform as he walked to his car. Slow, unhurried steps: He hadn't wanted to leave, but she had insisted. He had stayed until her eyes grew heavy and sleep had overtaken her shattered and injured body. Brushing a soft kiss on her tender lips, he had told her he loved her and quietly left.

Sam sat in the car. He leant back in the seat trying to summon up the energy that had been stripped from him hours before. The sound of blaring sirens from a speeding ambulance heading to the hospital entrance startled Sam out of his lethargy. As he turned the key and started the car he wondered momentarily what trauma had befallen its occupant.

He wasn't going home and for that he was grateful. Home without Jules was an empty shell and he needed people, not isolation. Isolation meant thinking and remembering and wondering what might have been. Sam was on his way to the SRU where the rest of his teammates, even at this late hour, still were. It had been a long day for everyone and it wasn't over yet.

Sam had finally told Greg at the hospital what he discovered about the sniper's second victim and Greg had deemed the information important enough to warrant a call being made to the Mayor's office. Although Greg had not asked, Sam knew he was needed at the SRU and although he would have rather stayed with Jules, he couldn't let the team down. This case, he knew for sure, was about Otis Sanders and that meant ultimately it was about him.

The drive to the Barn only took Sam twenty minutes; the traffic light at that time in the morning. As he walked into the briefing room he saw a familiar face.

"Wordy?" Sam said trying to sound upbeat. He liked Wordy immensely. The stalwart member of the team; his departure had left a gaping hole and although Leah had more than adequately filled the void, Sam was pleased to see him back in the briefing room. "What are you doing here?"

"I felt it was necessary with Jules being out of action that we had an experienced officer replace her especially as the sniper is still at large. Wordy agreed and the Mayor approved the transfer request on a temporary basis." Greg explained.

"Nice to see you back."

"Sorry my return isn't under happier circumstances Sam; so sorry to hear about Jules ... and the baby."

Sam swallowed hard trying to keep his emotions locked inside. He knew everyone was concerned and wanted to know how Jules was doing but his stomach somersaulted every time someone mentioned Jules and the baby. His military training resurfacing; afraid to let anyone see how much he was hurting; scared he would be perceived as weak. He knew he was being irrational, but it was the only way he knew how to cope: It was how he dealt with loss; how he had dealt with Matt's death and every loss he had endured in his life.

He had rationalized it in his head a thousand times; the baby, barely a baby at all; the size of a walnut, or so he had read in one of the dozen pamphlets Jules had picked up at the doctor's office. He hadn't lost Jules and he was grateful he truly was, but this tiny baby who had been growing inside of her had managed to completely capture his heart. It may have only been the size of a walnut, but it was a baby, their baby.

"Sam, how is she doing?" Ed asked as Sam took a seat next to him.

"Not great, but she was finally sleeping when I left".

Greg saw how uncomfortable talking about Jules and the baby was for Sam and how difficult it was for him to be at the SRU so Greg subtly redirected the team's focus.

"First order of business; Ed, Leah you have both been cleared by SIU; detectives found newspaper clippings of SRU previous hostage negotiations in Lisa Sheldon's bedroom, plus Google searches and a recording made on her computer. It explained in detail what they had intended to do. It had been planned down to the last detail; they wanted to die together and go out in a blaze so people would remember them; unfortunately, this was a tragic case involving two teenagers desperate not be parted. However, I think we are all relieved Ed and Leah have been exonerated."

"Stupid kids; they had no idea how this would affect their families and the officers involved". Leah exclaimed, displaying her inner most thoughts out loud to the rest of the team. It didn't matter if they had planned it or not; it didn't make killing them any easier. This was the only part of the job she honestly hated.

"The press will still crucify us" Ed added.

"For sure" Leah agreed.

"It is tough and we will have to ride the storm; but we have much bigger problems, there is a sniper still at large with possibly only three days before he strikes again. We now have a lead; Sam recognized the second victim as the jury foreman on the Otis Sanders trial." Greg explained to the team.

"But, Boss, how is that possible? Jury selection is highly confidential; there would be no way someone could just find out that information."

"Someone did; Olivia confirmed it was her. I know I could have been mistaken - I had only given evidence for four days, but Liv was there for the entire trial. Andrew gave evidence, and Karen Jackson was the jury foreman; that isn't a coincidence Spike". Sam's tone had become more positive; his brain relishing the distraction.

"We are going on the assumption that this isn't a coincidence; I have spoken to the Mayor and Team One's primary focus is the sniper case so we will not be attending any calls unless they are sniper related. The objective primarily is to protect those believed to be most at risk. The Prosecutor on the case Christopher Connelly, and the Judge, Edward Simpson have both been notified and given round the clock protection. The Defense team and defense witnesses will also be given protection. The remaining jury members will also be protected, but as Spike pointed out, it is not easy to find out that information. However, the Court administrative staff is complying and will be furnishing us with a list shortly. That leaves the Prosecution's star witness, Tracey Winters, three members of Team 2 and Sam. No one has been able to tell us where she is - can we find her please Spike, a.s.a.p?" Greg knew that with everyone else being protected the people most at risk were Tracey Winters and Sam.

"On it Boss". Spike replied as his fingers danced swiftly over the keyboard.

Greg knew Spike would find her; if anyone could he could.

As each team member took a further cup of coffee, caffeine helping to stem off the exhaustion every one of them was feeling; Spike let out a satisfied "Got her Boss: She left Canada shortly after the trial and moved to live with her grandmother in Aberdeen, Scotland. I have an address and contact telephone number."

"Good work Spike; what time is it in Scotland?"

"Hold on, let me check" once again fingers rapidly moving over the keyboard "it is around 8.00 am" Spike confirmed.

"Not too early, let's call her and make sure she is where we think she is."

Greg had skated around the exact reason for calling Tracey Winters, not wanting to alarm her unnecessarily. It was confirmed, she was safely out of the Country. However Greg wasn't taking any chances so a call was made to the Aberdeen Police Department. Detective Inspector Donald Murray agreed to ensure extra patrols would be provided around the area Tracey Winters was living.

"Next step would be to find out from the Governor at Kingston Penitentiary who has visited Mr. Sanders, but that will have to wait until a more reasonable hour. I suggest if you want to leave and get a couple of hours sleep, do so or you can bed down here. Shift starts at 07.00 hours."

Greg dismissed his exhausted team. They had one hell of a day and they needed more sleep than he could allow them. Knowing what may lay ahead in the coming days, he knew they would be up for the task, but was he asking too much from them, especially Sam? He made a mental note to keep a close eye on his young officer; he was mentally as tough as they come, but Sam had suffered more loss in one week than most would in a lifetime and wondered if Sam should really be at the SRU. Was he guilty of ignoring Sam's emotional state for the greater purpose? Greg did not need to deliberate for long; unfortunately he already knew the answer.

Each team member drifted off; all had decided to bed down at the SRU, except Sam, he was going back to the hospital to be with Jules.

Sam sat in the chair by her bed and watched her sleep. He sat quietly for thirty minutes before stealing a gentle kiss on her cheek. He hadn't wanted to wake her, but, a little selfishly was happy to see her eyes slowly open.

"How long have you been here?" She asked stretching out her hand to take his.

"Not long" he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've gone ten rounds with your boxing buddy, Slim".

"Stretch" Sam corrected.

"Slim, Stretch, whatever his name is - I feel like I have been used as his punching bag".

"Why don't you ask the doctor to give you something extra for the pain?"

"I don't really want to take any more; they make me have weird dreams, When are you back on shift?"

"In about three hours" Sam replied, trying to ignore the exhaustion which was creeping up his body.

"Why did you come back?

"To see you, silly. "

"Sam, you're bloody exhausted; you know if the Boss catches you sleeping on the job, he'll Scorpio your ass straight out of the SRU."

He smiled genuinely at her as she motioned for him to put his head on the bed and when he did she ran her fingers through his hair. "My hero" she whispered to herself as Sam had fallen asleep within seconds. She kissed the tips of her fingers and placed them on his forehead. Her eyes closed, happy he was with her if only for a little while.

Sam woke two hours later; every part of him wishing he could climb into the bed and curl up next to Jules and sleep for an eternity. She was still sleeping; he felt bad waking her up, but he needed to hear her voice before he left. He swept his hand gently over her face, and quietly whispered her name. She woke immediately and placed her hand over his cheek.

"Have you got to leave already?" she asked; her voice tinged with disappointment.

"Afraid so, I just wanted to say goodbye and I will be back as soon as I get off shift".

"Be careful… I love you"

"I will - love you too."

There had been no talk of their lost baby; the hurt still too much to comprehend. The pain etched on their faces masked by normal conversation. They would talk about their loss; all too soon they would need to work through their grief; to explore feelings they had never experienced before, but they would deal with it together and in their own time.

Sam was back at the SRU and in the shower. He stayed under the piping hot torrent longer than necessary, attempting to wash away the tiredness that racked his body and ease his aching muscles.

Sam was already seated in the briefing room as the others drifted in.

"You're here already" Spike said noticing Sam first. "How's Jules?"

"A little better" Sam replied but his didn't enlarge and Spike didn't ask him to.

Winnie had brought in a box of doughnuts and six cups of steaming coffee.

"Breakfast" she announced as she placed the tray in the middle of the table.

"Thanks Winnie; you head off home now and get some rest." Greg told the SRU despatcher.

Winnie was grateful the 7 pm to 7 am shift was over. She found the shift the hardest to deal with. Going from days to nights was always difficult - the body clock resisting the change. She was thankful she could at least go home and sleep. She felt for the guys; only four hours break in god knows how many hours.

As each member took a doughnut and coffee, Greg informed them of the conversation he had with the Governor of Kingston Penitentiary. Greg had brought the Governor up to speed with what was happening in the city and how the SRU believed there was a direct link between the sniper killings and Otis Sanders. The Governor had told Greg that Sanders was far from a model prisoner and had been placed in seclusion on a number of occasions for violence towards other inmates and prison staff. Sanders had only received two visitors since his incarceration. His mother visited him regularly every two weeks until July of this year when the visits ceased. His sister Amelia Sanders visited him in early August, the first and only time she had visited her brother. The Governor informed Greg that Otis Sanders' mother had passed away on July 28th and a request was made by Otis Sanders for him to be allowed to attend his mother's funeral, which was denied. The funeral had taken place on August 10th. Grief Counseling was offered to Sanders but this was refused. The Governor had also stated that Sanders had made threats to kill everyone who put him in prison. Unfortunately, the threats were not taken seriously, as it was believed he was just acting out of grief.

Greg had advised the Governor that detectives would be arriving to interview Mr. Sanders and felt the Governor himself needed to be protected and would make arrangements with the local Police Department.

Greg had also made arrangements for Amelia Sanders to be brought in to the SRU for questioning.

"Thoughts, please". Greg asked his team.

"This guy is a professional without a doubt, probably military or police trained. He has been one step ahead of us all along. These are ordered hits on specific targets; we just need to work out who is next on his list." Ed said.

Sam agreed "Sanders may have used his connections inside the prison to order the killings - if that is the case the only way to find out who the sniper is, would be if Sanders talks and that's unlikely. Boss, a professional sniper will keep going until everyone on the list is eliminated, and not even Tracey Winters would be safe. We need to come up with a strategy; otherwise more people will die and we will be no closer to catching him."

Sidney interrupted the team's discussions, stating that Amelia Sanders had arrived. Greg thanked Sidney and asked him to show Miss Sanders into the briefing room.

Amelia Sanders was a petite brunette and nothing like her older brother. She was impeccably dressed with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Greg showed her to the briefing room and sat her in the seat adjacent to his. He thanked her for coming to see him so promptly.

She was unsure how she could help, she had only seen her brother once since he had been in prison and that had been one time too many. Amelia Sanders despised her brother. She told the team he had been a violent teenager with an intense anger towards women, with the exception of their mother who he adored. She in turn worshiped Otis and did everything for him. Amelia explained their father had left when she was just a baby and Otis was seven. On one occasion, he and Amelia had argued over a TV program and he had beaten her so badly she had to be hospitalized; she was just 12 at the time, Otis 18. Even then, their mother had made excuses for him and never saw him for the thug he was. Her mother had visited Otis regularly until she became ill and died suddenly in July. Amelia had felt it necessary to tell her brother in person their mother had died so she visited him the one and only time.

Greg had asked her if she had met any of her brother's associates and she had replied that on one occasion a man a little older than Otis had turned up at their house driving a fancy car.

Spike had asked her to describe the 'fancy car' and showed her some pictures on the computer. She eventually pointed out a BMW Z4, black or navy blue in color, but couldn't help with the number plate or anything else, except that the man had a big black moustache. She had remembered it only because she thought he looked so 'old fashioned' like the old re-runs of Magnum her mother used to watch.

Jason DeShawn's name was said simultaneously by everyone seated around the table. The description of the man and the car all matched Otis Sanders' boss. However, he had himself been incarcerated six months previously on drug offences. The team knew DeShawn's power reached far and wide and he had the resources, but he was serving his own very long sentence on the other side of the country. It was doubtful DeShawn even knew Sanders' mother had passed away.

As Amelia Sanders left the SRU, Greg took a call from the Mayor's office.

The call was short but judging by Greg's facial expression, the team knew the news wasn't good.

"Christopher Connelly was shot and killed thirty minutes ago. His body guard had been shot in the leg and had been taken to hospital" Christopher Connelly, the Prosecutor on the Otis Sanders trial; any doubts about the sniper being connected to Otis Sanders, were now completely dispelled. Unfortunately, the sniper had also changed the timetable and he had also managed to get to Connelly even with protection. Greg rubbed his head and wondered how bad things were going to get and how many more lives would be lost before the sniper was caught. They needed to come up with a strategy; a plan to get the sniper before he killed again and they needed it now.

"How the hell do we catch this guy?" Greg asked his team.

Sam was saddened by Christopher Connelly's death. He had only known him from the trial, but knew he was married with a young family.

Sam was going over what Ed had said; how the sniper had been in control and one step ahead the whole time. They needed to somehow change the game plan, and he had an idea that just might switch control back to the SRU.

"What if we set him up - let him come to us." Sam suggested.

"Set him up, how?" Ed questioned.

"The only way of catching him would be if we were in control. We don't know who, where or when he is going to strike next but what if we lured him to us with a false call." Sam replied. He knew he had the whole team's attention and continued to explain.

"It's a fair assumption that I am on the sniper's list, so we use me as the bait. We set up a false call, using undercover officers. When he arrives we will already have people in position watching the surrounding buildings. We choose the location, so we choose somewhere easy to surveil and cover all vantage points."

"My protégé is all grown up" Ed smiled. "It's a good plan Boss, and it might just work. The problem with Team 2's call was that they were so focused on the hot call; they didn't see the sniper arrive or leave. If the call is a ruse, we can have officers in place to watch for the sniper to arrive."

"It also might get Sam killed" Spike added. He wasn't convinced the plan would work and it was fraught with danger, especially for Sam, but equally he did not know what else they could do to catch the killer terrorizing the people of Toronto.

"Spike I could be his next target anyway. He could be outside right now waiting to shoot me, or at the hospital or at my home. At least this way we have a chance of catching him before he kills again."

Everyone agreed that although the plan was dangerous, it was the only one they had which had any chance of success. Greg had left to speak with Holleran to arrange the undercover operation. Ed and Sam were to come up with a location and tactics to ensure that the sniper was caught and Sam was kept safe.

After four hours of intense analyzing and deliberating a plan was finally formulated which would, hopefully, result in the capture of the Toronto Sniper.

It was just gone six when Greg finally dismissed his team. Each one desperate for sleep, they wearily changed out of their uniforms and headed off to their respective destinations, which meant home for most of them. Sam's destination was St. Simons and back to see Jules. As Sam turned the key in the ignition, Spike's face appeared at the driver's side window.

"Can I come and see Jules with you?"

"Of course, jump in".

The two friends sat making small talk as Sam drove towards the hospital. The traffic was a bitch at that time of the evening, everyone heading in the same direction and Sam was losing his patience with the stationary cars in front of him, desperate to get to the hospital to see Jules and spend some time with her before going home to sleep.

Spike suddenly changed the subject "Are you going to tell Jules about the plan to catch the sniper?"

Sam turned his face to Spike "There is no point in telling her; she is already dealing with so much I don't want her worrying about me."

"She is still part of Team One, don't you think she has a right to know?" Spike replied. He didn't like secrets, even with the best intentions, secrets can hurt.

"Maybe Spike, but with everything that has happened to her, I can't worry her with this."

Spike looked out of the window; secrets, he hated them. But he was just as guilty as Sam; secrets cloaked with good intentions. Two weeks ago Natalie had flown to London to attend her best friend's wedding and he hadn't told her anything that had happened while she had been away. He had rationalized that he hadn't wanted to upset her when there was nothing she could do anyway. He knew she would have insisted on flying back and he didn't want her to spoil her friend's wedding. Admirable reasons for not telling her; only now, he wished he had said something, because she was coming home and he wondered if she would forgive him for keeping secrets from her, however good his intentions were.

Spike looked at Sam "Are you worried about tomorrow?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't Spike, but we've planned it down to the last detail, covered for every eventuality and I have you guys to watch my back and if it does go wrong, I'll just tell Jules it was your idea." Sam said smiling.

"Oh very funny, Sam, very funny."

**Hope you liked it - Chapter 8 coming to your screens very soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, finally, Chapter 8 is up. This chapter has been written, rewritten, scrapped and rewritten again. Words in my head refusing to travel to the fingers. I'm sorry to everyone who has waited patiently for this, because I am not entirely sure it has been worth the wait. You are my judge and jury so let me know if you feel it worthy of your time.**

Chapter 8 - Let Fortune Favor The Brave

Things work quickly at the SRU, especially when time is of the essence. The plan; discussed, refined and finally given the go ahead. It had to happen quickly, the sniper's timetable had been the reason. He had changed the timing between shootings; stepped it up, on purpose for sure to keep the team guessing and to keep everyone afraid.

Greg wasn't afraid, but he was anxious when he rose at 4.30 a.m. leaving Marina sleeping. He looked at the woman lying in his bed. He could not remember when she had become so important to him; he only knew that she had. He had resisted at first, not wanting to take a chance on getting hurt again. It had nearly destroyed him before; but in his darkest days, when alcohol had been his solace, he too had hurt the people he loved. He owed a debt to the police unit that had saved his life, but it had taken its fair share in return. Too many people had been lost and now once again they faced a foe hell-bent on killing because of one man's vengeful rampage. He knew Sam was right; they had to lure the sniper to them, but it was a dangerous game of cat and mouse they were about to play. Greg sighed heavily as he took his first sip of coffee. "I'm getting too old for this".

"Too old for what?"

Greg turned as Marina swept closer to him, her satin nightgown clinging to her well-formed frame.

"Just a little concerned about today."

"You have a good team Greg and you are a good leader; everything will be fine - you will catch the sniper, I know you will." Marina brushed a soft kiss on Greg's cheek as she poured herself a cup of coffee before returning to the bedroom.

Ed lay awake next to a sleeping Sophie, his hand resting on the small of her back. It was 4.30 am and he had been awake for the past hour going over every detail of the plan. Ed was a skilled tactician but it didn't stop him from going over everything one more time. An officer was putting his life on the line so they could catch the sonofabitch terrorizing the city, the least he could do was to make sure the plan was solid.

Sam was up too, nervous energy coupled with worrying about Jules had meant a restless night. He knew as soon as the rush hour had eased the team would be putting the plan, his plan, into action. Every contingency had been discussed and agreed and many of the 'what ifs' eliminated with the tactical planning. A few still remained, as with every plan, there was always going to be an element of risk. Sam gulped down the remainder of his coffee before picking up the keys to the jeep and heading out the door. He had wanted to see Jules; wanted desperately to see her before his shift, there just wasn't time. She had looked better when he and Spike had visited her and she had been genuinely pleased to see Spike.

Jules had no idea what was happening later that day, but she knew something was up. When Sam and Spike visited her they were definitely hiding something. She may have been shot, she may be an emotional wreck, but her profiling skills were dulled, not dead. She had seen a definite look between the two when she had mentioned the sniper case and when she tried to subtly probe the matter, the subject was swiftly changed. Had Jules been feeling stronger, she may have probed a little deeper but trusted that if there was something she needed to know, they would have told her, wouldn't they?

Everyone arrived at the SRU more or less at the same time and it was a hive of activity as every officer involved was in attendance. It was a large operation involving Team One, Team Two and fifteen undercover officers. It had to come together fast, before the sniper struck again. Greg trusted Ed and Sam to have covered all contingencies and he trusted his team implicitly to follow the plan to the letter. Everyone knew the risks involved; there couldn't be any mistakes, not today.

Ed and Sam had looked at many locations before agreeing on the building in question. Spike had worked with them using his computer skills bringing up floor plans for each proposed building and weather forecast and wind projections. They had managed to narrow it down to just one building in Portland Square. With the time of the proposed call, where the sun was in the sky and weather conditions, the two tactical experts had decided a trained sniper would choose the building on the east side. It offered a clear view of the square and his intended target. The building opposite did have vantage points but the angles were difficult and with the light refractions it offered only a limited view of the square. The building on the east side housed various businesses on the first five floors, and due to the recession the businesses on the upper floors had ceased trading. It was hoped the sniper would not know this information so anyone going above the fifth floor would be their likely suspect.

Undercover officers would be hostage taker and victim and five officers would be part of the crowd of onlookers. Inside the building, undercover officers would be posing as office workers. Leah, Benton and Daniels would be strategically placed on the upper floors waiting for confirmation of the sniper's arrival.

John Sullivan and the rest of Team 2 would be in the building opposite together with undercover officers just in case. Ed and Wordy would be surveiling the ground and Spike would be in the command truck monitoring events. Greg would be conducting the 'negotiation' and Sam would be his second. The call would go through in the normal way. It was a fair assumption the sniper was monitoring the police radio frequency so he would know Team One was attending.

When every single item had been deliberated for the hundredth time, Greg looked at his team and Sam in particular, he knew they were strategically and tactically ready, but were they really ready for what may lay in store.

At precisely 7.30 am, undercover officers, Team Two and Leah left to take up their positions. In two hours the call would come through and the plan would be put into operation.

The team sat around the table; time was dragging, especially for Sam. He wanted the day over so he could be with Jules. Spike wanted the day over too, for different reasons. He wanted Sam safe but he also had an appointment to pick up his beautiful blonde girlfriend at the airport and he couldn't wait to see her.

"Hot Call, Team One, hostage situation, Portland Square". Winnie announced to the team.

"This is it Team; let's get this guy and keep Sam safe".

"Copy that" Sam replied.

"Can't let anything happen to you Sam; we're all too scared of Jules" Ed quipped and everyone laughed easing the tension just a little.

Greg looked at his team as they headed for the SUVs. They were nervous, he could see it on each of their faces, but he saw something else too, professionalism and steely determination.

Greg noticed Sam was unusually quiet as they rode to the location; he could understand why. Not many people would be brave or stupid enough to make themselves a target for a professional sniper. The plan would not have been agreed had there been any other way and Holleran had spent two hours trying to convince the Mayor that this was not a suicide mission. Greg wasn't sure the Mayor would have agreed at all if it wasn't for the immense pressure he was under to catch the Toronto sniper, plus the sniper's third victim had been Christopher Connelly a prominent and well known Prosecutor.

"You OK with this Sam, you can still back out?" Greg watched his officer, watched for any sign that he was not fully on board. If Sam had any doubts whatsoever, he would have no hesitation in abandoning the mission. It was, after all, his life on the line.

"Yeah, I'm fine Boss; I wanted to see Jules before I left, but there wasn't time." Sam replied. He didn't look at Greg, and kept his eyes focused on the traffic in front of them. He wasn't lying, he did not want to back out of the plan; he just wished he had told Jules at least some of what was happening today. Spike was right, she was still part of team one, but she was also his wife and he had wanted to protect her, yet now he felt disloyal keeping the operation from her.

As the team arrived they could see a large crowd had already gathered and uniformed officers had cordoned off a wide perimeter. The undercover officers, as hostage taker and victim, were playing their parts well.

Team One disembarked from the SUVs and gathered around Greg, as was normal procedure. He didn't need to tell anyone their roles; they all knew where they needed to be and what they needed to do.

Greg turned to his team "Watch your backs, but more importantly, watch Sam's. He's the one the sniper wants. Radios to band 4, let's go and catch this bastard."

Spike made his way to the command truck. He was worried, more worried than his facial expression let on. Sam had been through so much over the past week and Spike wasn't convinced he was coping as well as everyone believed. As Spike took his position behind the control desk, he said a silent prayer that no lives would be lost today.

Ed and Wordy set off to their respective positions and Sam, MP5 raised, walked with Greg to the middle of the Square.

Sam felt completely calm as he walked with Greg. Even though there were still risks, it felt good to be in control for the first time since the sniper shootings had started. He knew people thought him insane for making himself the target for a sniper; it wasn't because he was noble or brave or even, as some would believe, he had a hero complex. He was simply doing it for Andrew; his friend, the sniper's first victim and for Olivia and their unborn baby Andrew would never get to see.

Greg commenced the negotiation. It had to be believable. The sniper could not know this was a ruse as he could start firing indiscriminately and everyone would then be at risk, not just Sam. However, Greg was finding it difficult to concentrate; he wanted desperately to scan the skyline but kept his eyes firmly focused on the officers in front of him.

Greg heard everyone confirm they were in position. Now they had to wait for the sniper to show and if and when he did, they would be waiting. He hoped today fortune would favor the brave, yet Greg still wished there had been another way to stop him; wished there had been more time to come up with a plan that did not involve putting an officer's life in jeopardy. The sniper had made certain they didn't have the time - so this was it, their one chance to apprehend him. If he didn't show or they failed to catch him, then, undoubtedly, more lives would be lost.

Thirty Two minutes into the negotiation undercover officers confirmed an individual had entered the building on the east side.

Every single officer involved in the operation held their breath and waited.

Spike had a knot in his stomach that he knew would only be alleviated when everyone was safe and the sniper caught. He watched the subject on the monitor, courtesy of the hidden camera which had been installed in all the elevators the night before. He looked at the face of the sniper; an ordinary looking individual; someone you could pass in the street and have no idea he was a cold-blooded killer.

"Pressed floor 15, this is our guy." Spike informed his teammate.

"Copy; Leah, are you Benton and Daniels in position?" Greg asked.

"In position Boss; Benton and Daniels are on Floor 15, I am in position on the roof"..

Spike watched as the individual left the elevator. "Picking up images of the subject walking down the corridor. Leah, he looks like he's heading for the stairs to the roof."

"Copy Spike; I'm in position." Leah inhaled deeply and blew out the air from her mouth, trying to settle her racing heartbeat. Relatively new to the team, she wondered why Ed had given her the responsibility of apprehending the sniper and hoped his faith in her was not misguided. Team One had, in just a few short months, become family to her. Every one of them intrinsically linked by a bond that she couldn't explain or define. A bond so strong that she knew each would give their life for the other; without hesitation, without question.

Greg looked at Sam, was this about to be over?

Sam felt uneasy for the first time that morning. Everything appeared to be going to plan, so why had he suddenly started to feel apprehensive? He thought about Jules and wished he could turn around and see her face. He trusted the team completely, but without Jules the team didn't feel whole: A jigsaw with a missing piece.

Leah, hidden behind a small wall, looked on as the subject entered the roof. He made his way to the edge, took out binoculars and surveyed the ground below.

"Ed, believe the subject is the sniper." Leah quietly informed her tactical officer.

"Copy, wait for Benton and Daniels before approaching the subject."

"Copy."

Leah was joined by Benton and Daniels. The sniper's attention firmly on the square below. The SRU officers watched as the sniper took out a cell phone and spoke.

"я в положении не так ли?" The sniper disconnected the call and placed the cell phone in his pocket.

"Is that Russian?" Leah whispered.

"Could be" Benton replied.

"Ed, I think this guy maybe Russian; he has called someone on a cell phone."

"Copy Leah, you have a go to apprehend the subject, we'll investigate the cell phone once he is in custody" Ed advised.

"Copy." Leah took hold of her MP5 and silently approached the sniper. He was taking up his position with his rifle and did not hear the three officers behind him.

"SRU, put down your weapon and raise your hands. There is an MP5 trained at your head, if you do not comply I will shoot you, do you understand?"

The sniper did not verbally acknowledge Leah's command, but he did seem to understand and took his hands off his rifle and raised them above his head.

Leah motioned for Daniels to handcuff the individual. Her eyes not moving from the subject. One false move and she would shoot the individual without hesitation.

Once the subject was secured, Benton took hold of the rifle.

"Subject in custody." Leah announced.

Every single member of the operation breathed a sigh of relief. It was over, the plan had worked; they had caught the Toronto sniper.

"Good work Leah." Greg said, relieved albeit a little surprised that the operation had run without a hitch. Maybe today, fortune really did favor the brave.

Spike had been monitoring the events; he pushed his earpiece further into his ear to make sure he had heard correctly. Had the Toronto sniper been caught; had it really been that easy?

Leah was studying the sniper. There was something odd about his demeanor. He had looked shocked when she had first apprehended him, but now he appeared calm; almost jovial. He didn't appear to be worried in the slightest that the SRU had thwarted his plan.

"Why are you smiling?" Leah asked the individual. "Rest assured you will not be smiling for much longer."

"I beg to differ." The sniper replied his thick Russian accent saturated with sarcasm.

"So you can speak English? What is your name?" Leah questioned.

The sniper did not answer, and just kept smiling.

Leah started to feel an anxious knot in the pit of her stomach. She did not know what it was, but something was definitely not right.

"Boss, this whole situation feels wrong. This guy is way too calm."

"Explain Leah?"

"It's a gut feeling Boss. He's has this smile on his face that is really creepy, like he knows something we don't."

Leah's gut feeling was good enough for Greg and he wasn't going to take any chances of something going wrong now. "Sam, get to the command truck and stay there 'till the sniper has been removed from the scene."

Sam turned and started to run back to the command truck. His job done; the sniper was in custody, there was no point in taking unnecessary risks.

Ed had decided he and Wordy would assist Leah with the prisoner and started to make their way to the building. Leah was looking through her binoculars at the building opposite and of the square below for any signs of suspicious activity.

Leah heard a pop immediately followed by a second and knew instantly it was a gun shots. Her fears confirmed seconds later when her earpiece was filled with screams of officer down. She heard more shots in rapid succession and people screaming.

"Spike, what's happening, who has been hit?"

Silence.

"Boss?"

Silence.

"Shit, shit, shit". Leah never cursed; had never uttered a swear word until that moment on the roof. She looked over the roof top through her binoculars; she couldn't see anything except people running in every direction. She turned to the sniper who was still wearing the sickly smile. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile from his face and put a bullet in his brain.

"Who are you working with?" Leah screamed at the sniper. He did not speak and continued to smile.

Spike had been monitoring the events unfold and he was pleased the Boss had ordered Sam to the safety of the command truck. The apprehension he had felt easing just a little as he opened the door to the truck and waited for his friend to cross the square.

Spike did not see her; no one saw the young woman move away from the crowd behind the police cordon. It happened in the briefest of moments. Two shots and Sam dropped.

It took Spike two full seconds to realize what had happened and by that time she was running, firing shots in the air. People screaming and running in all directions. Chaos and confusion brought on by fear; done deliberately to aid her escape.

Wordy looked at Ed. Each knew what the other was thinking; a rapport brought about by the many years of working together and of a close personal friendship. Their worst fears realized; an officer had been shot; with all their planning and with every contingency covered, they had been unable to prevent it. Questions would need to be asked, but that would be for later, right at that moment they needed to look for and apprehend the sniper's female accomplice.

As Spike drew closer, his legs started to shake and a sick feeling he hadn't felt since Lew overtook him as he saw just how bad it was. Greg was by Sam's side cradling his lifeless body. Greg, his uniform already soaked in blood, frantically requesting EMS, his voice barely comprehensible through his choking sobs.

Good morning Julianna, just need to check your blood pressure, how are you feeling?" The nurse asked

"OK I guess. What time is it? Sam said if he could he would try to get off work and come and see me around one."

The nurse looked at her watch attached to her uniform. "It's eleven forty five, not long to wait 'till you see that handsome husband of yours."

And the Burrito he had promised to bring along with him Jules thought and found herself smiling for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.


	9. Chapter 9

**So sorry for the long wait. It has been the worst few weeks for me personally. This chapter is not as long as the previous chapters - couldn't get the brain to work but I thought I should post it anyway. For my Dad, the greatest man I would ever know.**

Chapter 9 - Heartbreak

Spike watched the scene unfold like a movie he didn't want to watch. Pacing; frantically waiting for the ambulance to arrive while chaos still rained all around. She had gone, the person who had carried out this act had disappeared into the crowd and he wasn't sure they would ever catch her. Finally, he could hear sirens. He looked on helplessly as they placed Sam in the ambulance. Greg's face an ashen grey as he climbed into the ambulance to be with his fallen officer. Spike stood rooted to the spot. He saw the pool of blood covering the pavement and bile leapt from his stomach to his throat. Swallowing hard he had managed to stem the vomit but not the tears. Spike dropped to his knees beside Sam's blood. This was their fault. His blood was on their hands.

He didn't know how long he had been there; unable to hazard a guess, time running on regardless - until he felt a hand on his arm gently lifting him up. It was Wordy's arms which embraced him. He had been here before, in this situation, watching his friend die in front of him, feeling his heart rip from his chest. Feeling the agonizing torment that maybe he could have prevented it from happening. If he had noticed her a second sooner, had he acted on his own gut instincts that something was not right. Had he just tried harder to dissuade Sam from taking such a dangerous risk. Had he just done something, Sam's blood may not been covering the pavement.

Wordy opened the passenger door and Spike got in. He knew where they were heading and tried to summon up the courage to face what he already knew - Sam was gone.

"Ed, I'm on route to the hospital with Spike, any luck finding her yet?"

"Still searching, but it looks like she's in the wind - we'll meet you at the hospital when we can. Any news on Sam?"

Wordy looked at Spike for confirmation and Spike shook his head.

"It's bad Ed, very bad but I'll let you know more when we get to the hospital; ETA ten minutes."

"Copy" Ed replied.

They found Greg, alone, sitting. His elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together and his head bowed. He looked like a man whose world had been ripped apart. Spike knew the Boss would shoulder the responsibility, but they were all to blame. Every one of them knew what Sam had been through, yet no one said anything - too preoccupied with catching the goddamn sniper. They should have tried harder to come up with a different plan; instead they let Sam throw himself to the wolves.

"Boss?"

Greg looked up from his thoughts. He didn't know anything. But they all feared the worst and tried to prepare for it if that was possible, but this day would affect them all in different ways.

"Boss, you need to go and change out of those clothes; Spike can you stay while I drive the Boss back to the barn?"

Spike nodded.

"Let me know if you hear anything."

Greg looked down at his blood soaked uniform; his breath hitched, not realizing how much of Sam's blood was on it. How could this of happened, how could he let this happen. He was their leader, their Sergeant. It was his job to protect his officers not put them in the firing line. He didn't want to leave, but he knew he couldn't stay.

Spike started to walk away "Where are you going Spike?"

"Someone has to tell Jules." Spike replied as he walked off down the corridor towards her room.

Wordy was grateful it wasn't going to be him. He did not think returning to Team One was going to be a cakewalk, but he sure as hell did not think he would be sitting at the hospital waiting to see if Sam was alive or dead.

Spike slowed his pace as he neared the room. He had no idea how he was going to tell her; he didn't even know what to tell her. Was Sam alive, was he dead, he didn't know himself?

Spike inhaled deeply, summoning up the courage from somewhere he knocked lightly on her door.

"Come in" Jules replied.

As Spike entered her room, his heart started to race. She was watching TV, the remote in her hand. He knew instantly it was a breaking news story, the red banner at the bottom of the screen with the headline 'Toronto Sniper Captured'.

Jules turned to see Spike walk through the door.

" Spike" Jules smiled "You caught the sniper?"

"Jules" Spike spoke softly as he walked to her bed. He needed to get the remote from her hand and turn the TV off before she heard what he wished he hadn't seen.

"Shh" Jules put her hand up to motion Spike to stop talking.

_"The Toronto Sniper has been captured by the SRU today in what was believed to be a sting operation. However, it is understood the sniper may have been working with a female accomplice who came out of the crowd and shot an SRU officer. We have dramatic images of the actual shooting recorded by an eyewitness on his cell phone. Viewers are warned they may find the following scenes disturbing."_

Spike's heart rate quickened - people and their damn cell phones - he couldn't let her see it, could not let her witness Sam being struck down; not like this, not without forewarning her.

"Jules" Spike spoke with a sternness he didn't mean, but he needed to get her attention. Jules turned to face Spike wondering why there was such anxiety in his voice.

"What?" As soon as she said the word, she already knew what. There was something Spike did not want her to see. She gripped the remote tightly in her hand, preventing Spike from retrieving it.

"Please Jules; turn the TV off, please."

Jules ignored Spike and even though panic was gripping her; she kept watching as the recording of a woman moving towards the square was played. She knew she should turn off the TV, knew Spike wouldn't have asked without good reason, but she had to continue watching_. _Something in her heart compelling her to keep watching.

_"As you can see a woman comes into view. She is clearly holding something in her hand which we now believe to be a 9mm handgun. She then raises her hand and fires twice at the SRU officers walking across the square, fatally wounding him. She then proceeds to fire in the air, panicking the crowd. This woman is believed to be in her early thirties, approximately 5' 5" tall, with light brown shoulder length hair. This woman is still at large. If anyone has information on the identity of this woman or her whereabouts they are advised to call 911 immediately. Do not approach this woman if seen, she is armed and considered highly dangerous."_

Jules jumped when the gun went off, her heart pounding so hard she was unable to catch her breath. The blonde hair, his stature, the way he walked; she knew it was Sam.

Spike heart almost stopped when he heard her scream. The anguish in her voice reverberated throughout his entire body. Her grip on the remote finally loosened and he gently took it from her and switched off the TV.

"Spike?" Her huge chocolate brown eyes searching Spike's, desperately seeking his reassurance that what she had just seen didn't happen. She didn't see any reassurance just deep and utter sadness and she knew it was true.

"They said fatally wounded Spike" Jules' voice breaking, unable to fully comprehend what she had just seen and heard.

"We don't know anything yet. He's here in the trauma centre, but Jules…"

"He's not dead" Jules' body started to shake uncontrollably. Her hand trembling so much she could barely pull the IV line out of the back of her hand. She hissed slightly as the needle slid out of her vein.

"What are you doing Jules?" Spike protested as the IV line dropped to the floor. Jules then gingerly swung her legs to the side of the bed. "I need to see him; he's not dead Spike, I would know… I would know" her voice barely a whisper.

Jules said the words. Had always thought she would know; that there would be some telepathic connection, that her heart would stop beating if Sam died. Yet, she didn't know he had been shot, that he had been lying in his own blood. She had been completely unaware of anything until the moment she saw his body drop to the ground on the TV. She had been expecting him to walk through the door with her burrito, instead he was here in this hospital, barely yards from her fighting for his life or worse and she didn't know.

"Jules, please get back into bed". Spike tried to reason with her.

"Spike, I need to see him."

Spike almost broke down when he heard the desperation in her voice, he sighed heavily and relented. He helped Jules out of the bed. As she rested her hand on the side table for support, Spike was to her left, holding her arm watching and waiting to catch her if she fell.

If she could just stand up straight she might be able to walk, but her body was adamantly refusing to comply. She tried unsuccessfully to walk a few steps. It was agony and she knew she would not be able to make the long walk down the corridor without help.

"Spike you need to find me a wheelchair".

"Jules, you shouldn't be out of bed - you're going to pull those stitches if you are not careful."

Jules looked at Spike as she had never looked at him before, her eyes glaring at his.

"Spike, either you get me a chair or watch me crawl." Nothing, not Spike, or the damn injury to her stomach was going to prevent her from getting to Sam. She had meant every word - she would crawl if she had to.

Spike knew better than most when Jules wanted to do something, there would be nothing he could say or do to stop her. He helped her sit back down on the edge of the bed.

"Don't move Jules, do not even try to stand until I get back."

He left and returned minutes later with a wheelchair. Jules tentatively tried to sit in the chair, easing her injured and aching body into the wheeled contraption. It was painful, but her heart hurt more than the bullet wound. She could stand the physical pain, but this ache in her heart was overwhelming her.

Jules felt useless and terrified. Terrified that the reporter had been right, that Sam was gone . She wanted to jump out of the chair and run through the double doors leading to the trauma centre. She wanted to see Sam, she needed to see him.

Instead she sat in the wheelchair, resting her head on her hand and tried to breathe through the fear that was enveloping her. She refused to cry, felt if she let the tears fall, they would never stop. Would fate be so cruel as to take Sam as well as their baby? How much more heartbreak could she take.

Spike hand rested on her shoulder. She was stronger than anyone he had ever known, but knew if Sam was dead it would crush her.

Suddenly, the double doors swung open and a nurse rushed through. She stopped when she noticed Jules sitting in the wheelchair.

She threw Spike a disapproving look and bent down to face Jules. Jules searched for Spike hand, needed to hold on to him to give her the strength to face what she was about to hear, knowing she couldn't face it alone.

"Julianna, you should not be out of bed. I was coming to let you know about Sam. I know you are worried sweetheart, but this will not do you any good at all. I will get a nurse to take you back to your room and set up a new IV."

"You have my husband in there" Jules sobbed, the tears finally falling; at last giving into the grief that was completely engulfing her.

"I need to know how he is; I need to see him -please. I'm not leaving until I know..."

The nurse sighed heavily. She didn't know how much she should tell her. How much information could she tell her fragile, injured patient? Should she tell her he was unable to breathe on his own, that he had lost so much blood, his heart had stopped? Should she tell her he was clinging to life by a mere thread and he would need all the fight he had in him to crawl his way back from his devastating injuries? She had suffered so much already, how could she tell her that in all probability, her husband would die today.

"He's hanging on Julianna; it's serious, but he is a fighter. I will get the doctor to come and speak to you as soon as he can, but then you have to promise me you will go straight back to bed." The nurse looked softly at Jules, noticing how small and vulnerable she appeared sitting in the wheelchair. She knew also that this petite young woman was stronger that most of the patients who had come through her hospital; and she would need every ounce of that strength to face what lay ahead of her.

Jules promised. She would have said anything, done anything if they would just let her see him.

The nurse disappeared through the double doors leaving Jules holding on to the small glimmer of hope she had given her. The reporter had been wrong; Sam was alive.


	10. Chapter 10

**So finally I have managed to complete Chapter 10. I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for this. I lost my Dad on the 1st July and I realized chapters written while drunk do not make for good reading. I had to rewrite most of this so sorry for the delay. Hope this is OK, sorry to those who didn't like it. When I submitted this chapter it said Chapter 20 - why? I have no idea so please do not get confused. THIS IS CHAPTER 10 - THE WAIT.**

Chapter 10 - The Wait

Elana was pacing holding her five month old tightly to her chest. Rubbing his back and rocking him gently. He had been miserable all morning, the result of two teeth that were trying to make an appearance. He could also have picked up on his mother's anxiety; she had been unable to relax since seeing the news report.

The loud knocking startled them both and her baby's crying intensified as she made her way to the front door.

Anna stood in front of her. She was crying and although it was a bitterly cold day, her face was red with beads of sweat dripping from her forehead.

Anna rushed passed Elana. Elana closed the door and followed her sister through to the kitchen, still holding Aiden, whose crying had now had become a whimper. Exhaustion finally taking over his tiny body.

"What did you do? How could you shoot that policeman?" Elana screamed at her.

Aiden began to cry again, Elana switched his position to over her shoulder, stroking him gently.

Anna turned to her sister "How…?"

Elana kept her voice low, not wishing to startle her young son again. "It's all over the news; someone recorded you, your face is everywhere. Anna what was you thinking - how could you have done that. My God Anna you killed a policeman?"

Elana followed her sister back to the lounge and Anna slumped down on the sofa and buried her head in her hands. Chocking sobs muffling her garbled explanation.

"I had to; Mikel said he would kill me if I didn't. I didn't want to Elana, I didn't want to do it. I didn't have a choice."

Elana sat on the sofa opposite her sister. Her baby had finally given in to the sleep and she laid him down gently next to her.

Anna, her older sister by three years, looked lost and desolate. Elana wanted to help her; she wanted to comfort her and make the hurt go away as she had done so many times in the past, but she couldn't help her this time; this time she had gone too far. She had her husband and child to think about now. She couldn't let her stay, she couldn't risk getting caught up in this mess.

"Where's Mikel?"

"I think he was arrested."

"Is he the sniper everyone's talking about?"

Anna didn't answer her sister, but she could see the shock written all over her face and she knew she didn't have to tell her sister that Mikel was the person who had been in every newspaper and on every news channel; he was the Toronto Sniper.

"You have to call the police Anna, you have to tell them what happened; that Mikel forced you to shoot the policeman."

Elana's life had been blissfully happy and uncomplicated until a little over a month ago, when her sister arrived unexpectedly from Russia with her boyfriend Mikel. Elana had a comfortable life. She had met and married Grant Bennett, a Canadian banker three years ago and she felt her life was complete when Aiden arrived.

Grant had initially been happy for Elana's sister and boyfriend to stay, but Mikel had a dark side and following a violent row one night between Anna and Mikel, he had asked them to find alternative living arrangements. They had moved out the following day and Elana had not seen her sister until the news report came on the TV and she saw her shoot a policeman dead.

"I can't. I will leave; I just need some money to get home. Please help me Elana, I'm scared, I don't want to go to prison."

Elana was torn. She loved her sister and didn't want anything to happen to her, but this was nothing like before. Anna had always been the one to get into trouble. She had dropped out of school at fifteen and mixed with the wrong crowd. At twenty she was taking drugs and drinking heavily. Elana helped her through and thought she had turned her life around. When Elana left Russia, Anna had a job, an apartment and her life was pretty much on track.

Elana knew what she had to do and hoped that one day her sister would forgive her.

She may have disappeared, but it didn't mean they wouldn't find her, it just meant it would take time. Ed had never been a patient man and Sophie would attest to that - sure he could sit on his sniper perch for hours, but give him an arrogant sonofabitch who had murdered three innocent people, then patience was definitely not one of Ed Lane's attributes.

Ed wasn't at the station by choice - he had wanted to go straight to the hospital to find out how Sam was doing but Stainton had asked for his help and he wanted to see this individual up close and personal; see what kind of human being could murder innocent people indiscriminately.

What Ed discovered about the individual wasn't much, except he was an arrogant, self-righteous individual with more than a few psychopathic tendencies.

He watched through the two way mirror his arms folded across his chest as serious crime detectives interviewed the man who had become infamous in just a short time, and labelled the Toronto sniper.

He wasn't saying anything - the interpreter relaying the detectives' questions to him in Russian.

He wasn't answering any of their questions and had asked for a Russian speaking laywer. He did not trust that the interpreter would be working in his best interests.

It was a slow, arduous process which was making Ed want to leap through the two way mirror and smash the Russian's head into a wall.

Maybe they would get lucky with the woman. Her face now on every news channel courtesy of the young man's recording of the incident on his cell phone. Her image was being put through facial recognition software in the hope she was in the system, somewhere, but that could take hours. Her photograph and description had been circulated to every airport, port, rail and subway station. They just needed a little luck.

And they were about to get the break everyone was so desperate for.

Ed's cell rang. It was Greg telling him he had received a call while at the Barn.

The call had been patched through via the 911 service from a woman claiming to be the sister of the woman everyone was looking for.

"Meet us there Ed; Wordy and I are riding along with Team 3. 420 Briar Hill Avenue."

"Copy, Leah's on her way to the hospital, shall I recall her?"

"Yes Ed, we need everyone on this, but leave Spike at the hospital."

Ed let Stainton know they had a possible break in the case and left feeling something was finally going their way.

It had been over an hour since Jules had struggled into the wheelchair and down to the trauma centre. Thirty eight minutes since the nurse came and told her Sam was alive and not one person had gone in or come out since. She shifted in the chair. A throbbing pain in her stomach had become unbearable but she would not leave, would not move from this position until someone let her see Sam.

A doctor walked through the doors and she held her breath. Spike held her hand as the doctor pulled up a chair and sat and faced her. Jules noticed his face looked sad - Oh God, she thought, he's dead; he's going to tell me Sam's gone.

"Julianna, I am so sorry I couldn't get to speak to you sooner. Your husband… Sam has suffered a serious head trauma. One bullet grazed the back on his head, which isn't too serious. However, a second bullet hit the right side of his head. We have managed to stabilize him and he will be going to surgery shortly. One of the best neurosurgeons in the city is going to perform the surgery but I have to warn you this is a very delicate procedure and you are looking at a very long wait."

"What are his chances, doc?" Spike asked.

The doctor looked at them both with genuine concern.

"I can't give you any percentages; this type of brain injury would normally be life ending, but your husband is one hell of a fighter. I understand you are refusing to go back to your room until you see him?" He was glad Jules hadn't asked any questions. He had kept things deliberately brief not wanting to worry her more than she already was. The truth would just cause more hurt. Even if he was to survive the surgery the chances of severe brain damage were high. This young woman who had suffered so much already may not get back the man she knows and loves and that could be worse than him dying on the table.

Jules nodded, she couldn't speak; she was desperately trying not to scream and the sobs at the back of her throat were making it hard for her to even breathe.

"OK, I'm going to let you see him for a minute before he is taken to surgery. Try not to be too alarmed when you see him, he doesn't look too good right now."

The doctor moved around to the back of the wheelchair and started to push Jules towards the double doors. Spike went in front and opened the doors making their access easier. Jules looked up at Spike and his heart almost broke as he saw the despair in her face. He had never seen her look that way before. Even when Sam was fighting for his life after being pushed off a three storey building, Jules had not looked like this. It was as if this had finally beaten her.

Ed had picked up Leah and both were heading for Forest Hill, an affluent suburb of Toronto.

"Any news on Sam Ed?" Leah had almost reached the hospital when Ed had called her.

"Spike called, they were still waiting for the doctor to speak to them, but what are the odds of him surviving this Leah? I just keep thinking this is my fault - I was the tactical officer, this was my responsibility. It was too dangerous, I should have stopped Sam and now he's probably going to die because of me. How the hell am I going to face Jules?

Leah could see the sadness in his eyes, Ed was suffering and she knew she wouldn't be able to alleviate the guilt he felt. Everyone was shouldering the burden of responsibility. It was a god-awful situation, and she had no idea how it was all going to turn out, but she prayed Sam would make it; for Jules and for the rest of the team.

"No one could have foreseen the sniper working with an accomplice Ed; this isn't your fault, it isn't anyone's fault except the sniper and the woman he was working with. Do we know anything about her yet?" Changing the subject so Ed could focus on what was important now; apprehending the woman who had ripped everyone's world apart.

"Just what Greg found out; Elana Bennett is her sister. Her name is Anna Lekova and she arrived from Russia with her sniper boyfriend about a month ago. Team Three's already here" Ed noticed as he gently brought the SUV to a stop behind the Command Truck, just out of sight of the large grey coloured house with its landscaped front garden A large maple tree dominated the space between the gates and the front of the house. Its fiery red leaves contrasting against the sumptuous green lawn. "Jeez, that's some house - Sophie would give my right arm to live here."

Donna Sabine was in conversation with Greg and Wordy as Ed and Leah approached.

Donna acknowledged their presence and continued with the plan to surround the house.

"There is a baby in the house so no tear gas or flash grenades. The subject is apparently distraught but let's not forgets she is still possibly armed and therefore considered dangerous. Ed, Leah cover the back, Greg do you want to take the lead?"

The telephone rang. Elana felt her heart race. Anna had no idea she had called the police and guilt suddenly took hold of her as she answered.

"Hello".

"Elana Bennett?"

"Yes" Elana replied. She looked over to her sister - she hoped her sister would one day forgive her.

"My name is Greg Parker; I am from the Strategic Response Unit. Is your sister still with you in the house?"

"Yes".

"Is she armed? Is she showing any hostility towards you or your son at the present time?"

"No".

"Can you please put her on the phone so I can talk to her?"

"Anna, it is the police, they want to talk to you". Elana held out the phone to her sister.

"You called the police, Elana I trusted you. How could you do this to me, you are my sister". The line went dead.

"Ed, Leah aggressive entry now" Greg ordered as he Wordy and Donna raced to the front of the house.

A sobbing Elana opened the door. Ed and Leah were already in the house and had subdued the woman who was now crying hysterically on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to kill him. I'm sorry. Elana forgive me please." Anna screamed as Ed and Leah led her away.

Greg sat Elana down on the sofa; she was in shock and none of this had been her fault. Greg sat with her while they waited for uniformed officers to bring her husband home.

"You did the right thing Elana. I know you feel guilty now but in time you will see you have done the best thing for your sister. With your help we have managed to end this peacefully, with no more lives lost."

The bed Sam was lying on was high, too high for Jules to see him properly from the wheelchair. With the nurse's help she managed to lift herself out of the chair. She almost wished she hadn't.

She gasped when she saw him. She had been here before, too many times, but this time was different. This time it wasn't broken bones or internal injuries, this time he had a bullet lodged in his brain. This time might be the last time she would ever see him alive.

Hi Sam, it's me, Jules." She stroked his hand gently. "We're going to get through this Sam, but you have to fight; you have to come back to me. Don't leave me Sam, please don't leave me." Her tears falling onto the crisp white sheet covering Sam's lifeless body. Every fiber in her body wanted to throw herself over him; to wrap herself around him and make everything go away. All the pain she had felt did not come close to the pain she was feeling now. Her life was laying on that table with him, naked, raw emotions. He was it for her; there would never be anyone who could ever replace him. Why did love hurt so much?

"We have to go now." The doctor motioned to the nurse to help Jules back into the wheelchair.

She was back with Spike and Sam was wheeled to the Operating Theatre. Now they had to wait and pray.

"You OK Jules?"

"I need some air Spike; can you wheel me outside?"

"Jules it's freezing."

"Please Spike, just for a little while."

"If we see that nurse again, she will kill me for sure this time." Spike said as he wheeled her towards the entrance doors. "Only for a minute Jules, then straight back to your room, promise?"

"I promise". Jules replied as she took hold of his hand. She honestly did not know how she would have coped without Spike today.

It had started to rain, a fine drizzle. The kind of rain that sticks to your skin and before you realize it has saturated every inch of you. If it was going to rain it should be proper rain, she thought, not some poor excuse for rain. Not that she was a fan of any rain with the exception of a summer shower following a long hot day, then and only then did she love the rain. She would run into the garden barefoot and feel the wet grass between her toes, watching as the rain drops danced on the bright yellow hollyhocks and the vibrant red roses enhancing their already intense bouquet. Sam would laugh at her "You know you're totally nuts right?"

"It's lovely. Come on Sam live a little, take your shoes off and come and stand in the rain with me." And he did, laughing as he swung her around. Jules wondered if she would ever have days like that again. Would Sam ever swing her around in the garden in the rain?

Jules couldn't bear the memory, it was too painful. "Take me in Spike, please."

Jules curled up on her bed and wished the world would disappear. She had been grateful to Spike for staying with her but right at that moment she wanted to be alone. She wanted to scream and cry and didn't want anyone witnessing her heart break in to a thousand pieces.

"Haven't you got to pick up Natalie?"

"I've still got a couple of hours; her plane lands at ten."

"This is going to destroy her."

"She's stronger than she appears; she's like Sam like that… Sam's gonna be OK Jules, you have to believe he will get through this."

"I don't think I believe in anything anymore Spike. I just know this is it for me now, I can't keep doing this."

Spike wanted Jules to explain what she meant but his cell phone buzzed in his pocket and when he looked at the screen he saw it was the Boss calling. He stepped outside and into the corridor. He told Greg Sam had been taken to surgery and there wouldn't be any news for some time. He then listened intently as Greg relayed the events of the day. Greg would fill in the details later. Wordy and Leah were on their way to the hospital but he and Ed had to stay and Spike understood.

As Spike turned to enter the room he could hear Jules sobbing. He placed his hand on the door handle but changed his mind. He knew Jules and he knew right at that moment she needed to be alone. Instead he sat down on the floor outside her room. It hurt so much that he couldn't take her pain away. He wished he could make everything right again, but he knew nothing was going to be right ever again and he still had to tell Natalie. He fumbled in his pocket for the small velvet box. He opened it and looked at the five diamond platinum ring.


End file.
